Haven't We Been Through Enough?
by YellowBelliedLinc
Summary: The Cullen and Hale families have meant nothing but drama for seventeen year old Alice Cullen and nineteen year old Jasper Hale. One fleeting decision and they find themselves residing in Skegness, England but soon they begin to realise that life as an independent couple isn't as easy as it once seemed. AU/AH/M for freedom [Alice/OC] DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but my own characters.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Okay, I'm sorry! I am sick and tired of me rewriting this story too, but I let myself down again. Like the first time, it kept going up and down and I just couldn't handle it. I'm so so so sorry. I promise I won't let it happen again. I said last time that I structured it, but truthfully, I was too lazy to. I don't know if I will structure it this time, but I will definitely stick to my mind plan instead of doing whatever I want. I'm also renaming the story because the title was no longer relevant.** **This story was previously called _Affairs, Love and Secrecy, _or, _What Is The World Coming To?_ depends which version you read or how long you've been reading, I suppose. Here's the newly improved chapter one in third person because I seem to like third person a lot more than changing point of view constantly. Also, it doesn't go with the storyline of ALS just yet, it's more a continuation of WITWCT then into ALS... So, I'm going to try to update once a month, maybe more, but I promise it will be at least one chapter a month, I hope that's okay. I hope that the quality of the story is better and that the content as well is better. Any flashbacks taken from the original two versions have been tweaked to third person and improved too so you will recognise scenes from the old versions but not all of the writing. I apologise for the lengthy author's note. This chapter is just kind of a taste of what is to come and I hope you like it. See you below.**

**Also, I would just like to confirm that all of the writing below, whether taken from previous versions or fresh, is _ALL MY OWN. _Lately, I have heard of a lot of fiction theft by pathetic authors who can't come up with their own plot or lines for characters; I just hope that nobody thinks that they can get away with trying to steal people's work, especially not mine. So don't try it. If you ever see someone with a plot or lines that are identical or extremely similar to mine, please inform me because I have put a lot of time and effort into coming up with the plot to my story and the content too. Thanks.  
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"Come on, guys, we need to finish packing!" Alice Cullen shouted down the hallway of her current residence. A lot had happened in the past few weeks and her family were still in limbo over how to handle it all.

The family were helping pack up Alice's brother, Edward's things because he was moving out. He had decided that enough was enough and his family were too much to handle; meaning that him and his girlfriend, Isabella, were moving into their own apartment. Alice, at the tender age of seventeen and three quarters-ish, was delighted about it. She had known for a long time now that her brother wanted nothing more than to get away from everything that had happened between the family. Their parents, it seemed, came with as much drama as a soap opera – too much, in simple terms.

As Alice put the last things in the room she was tending to in the box, she sighed, feeling like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Her phone buzzed suddenly in her pocket and she pulled it out daintily. The number on the screen was blocked, so she answered curiously, "Hello, Alice Cullen speaking."

"Alice, it's your father. How are you, darling?" Her father's silky smooth voice slithered into her ear, making her shudder violently.

"I don't want to speak to you, I've told you too many times. Leave me alone!" She shouted before hanging up.

Her father, Carlisle Cullen, had left the family last week after making the major confession that his adoptive son, Alfie, was not adopted at all. Alice's mind flashed back to that horrible time and she shuddered again at the thought.

**Flashback**

_Alice and the Hale family pulled into the drive promptly five minutes after the desperate call they had received from Alice's mother, Esme. Fumbling out of the car, the group approached the door cautiously. Esme pulled open the door slowly, her cheeks stained with fresh tears. Her voice fragile, she welcomed them into her broken home with a hug and the weakest smile ever seen. "Hello Jasper, Alice. Hi Cassidy, hello Alex, Rosalie, Annabel. It's lovely to see you all again I must say."_

_Alice became the first to break the horrible silence taking over the air around them. A terrified, "Mom?" was all she could muster._

_Esme's eyes brimmed with fresh tears daring to fall. Painfully, she reassured her daughter, "Inside, honey, inside."_

_Jasper, being the calmest of the group after seeing Esme's state, slid an arm carefully around Alice's waist, pulling her through the doorway and into the threshold of the Cullen household, which was engulfed in a strange, fragile and curious silence. The pair entered the family room and the air was so thick it was practically tangible. Jasper managed to guide a fragile Alice toward the couch, perching himself on the arm with her tucked into his side carefully yet protectively. Carlisle Cullen was sat across from them tentatively; he was away from everyone else so that you could tell clearly this whole scenario was his fault. Esme re-entered the room, walking to the crowded side of the room away from her husband. Everyone in the room now wanted to know what was going on._

_Esme fidgeted slightly and took a breath before beginning to speak. "You may have all guessed that something very drastic has been revealed here tonight, hence the urgent gathering. I was the one who implemented this meeting as I myself was having trouble deciding how to take the news. I thought that maybe if our close friends and family were here to help, then we could all come to a suitable conclusion." She took yet another breath before continuing. "You are all, no doubt, wondering what we have been gathered here for and my-" She spat the word. "Husband, is about to tell you exactly why we have ruined your evening, for which I apologise."_

_Everyone in the room nodded simultaneously, except for Carlisle, who resembled someone who had just been punched in the face. Everyone's thoughts were identical: What is going on here?_

"_What is going on here, Mom?" Alice had decided to voice her annoyance, as clearly no one else was going to and she couldn't bare the silence any longer, much like the others in the room._

_Her elder brother, Edward, also piped up frustratedly, "Yeah, Mom, let us in."_

_This set off her other elder brother, Emmett, "Yeah, Mom!"_

"_Just a moment, please!" She replied, quite angry at how rude her children were being._

_Carlisle interrupted timidly, "Esme, please, we don't need to do this so publicly. Can we not just do this-"_

"_No we cannot! We would not be in this position if you had not gone on one of your childish drinking stupors. Let's face it, you got yourself into this mess, nobody else and if I had known that little Alfie was the product of your stupidity then I would not have shamed our family by shouting about that we had a new adoptive son. Not that I regret taking Alfie in, as he is too adorable to be treated any less than we treat him. But then again, does he deserve this? Just remember, Carlisle, when people ask him horrible questions when he's older, remember this was your doing, no one else's." Esme shrieked through her tears._

_Everyone else in the room gasped in realisation. Carlisle opened his mouth to speak but Esme stopped him with a hand gesture immediately. "Be quiet, you know full well that your opinion is invalid in this household."_

"_Since when, Esme? When did my freedom of speech within these walls become abolished?" Carlisle spoke quietly but an obvious annoyed tone lingered in his words._

"_About an hour ago, when you admitted that you had not only gone out and committed the worst act anyone possibly could but that the child I was led to believe was adopted, actually is your birth son." Esme spat viciously._

"_Could somebody please explain exactly what is going on, please?" Alice suddenly hissed._

"_Dear, Alice, calm down, please." Esme attempted to soothe her daughter's anger and pain in her tone, but failed._

"_No, Mother, I will not calm down! I cannot stand here any longer and listen to you and Dad bullshit each other without telling anyone else exactly what this little secret is! You can keep telling me to calm down, but being quite frank, those two words fuel the fire inside an angry person. Also, how the hell do you have any right to tell me to calm down when you and Dad are shouting and screaming at each other constantly? I mean, have you seen the anger flying around this house right now? If anyone needs to calm down right now it's you, Mother. To be honest, you can flit around the conversation as long as you want and draw attention to yourselves by keeping it all quiet and being cryptic but I won't listen any longer. Or you can give us the damn good explanation that you and I both know you owe everyone in this room."_

"_Alice! How dare you speak to me that way?" Esme shrieked, so shocked by her daughter's use of words and the way she had portrayed herself in that moment._

"_No, Esme, it's true. We've been "flitting" around the conversation for half an hour, it's about time we told everyone properly why they're here." Carlisle interrupted Esme's coming rant. "Here's your explanation and I promise it will be damn good. Three years ago, I had a... fling, if you like, with a girl. A girl very close to the family and I know it was wrong of me, but I swear she was the temptress and I was feeling pressured at the time and your mother seemed to hate me and my whole life was spiralling out of my control. She threw herself at me many a time before I caved in and even then, it was hard to do as I did." He took a breath before continuing, "I regret every second of the affair and I wish I had told your mother before now, when our relationship was at its worst."_

"_Who was the girl?" Jasper asked, curiously._

"_It was a young lady; far, far too young for me. Her name was Autumn; Autumn Harris." Carlisle said, ashamed and looking to the floor. He could feel the glares burning into his skull._

_Everyone in the room felt disgusted and Alice was no exception but she was not quite sure why. Her mind was spinning faster than she knew how to cope with. She was having a hard time taking anything in; all she could comprehend at that moment was that her father had been with a girl, someone that she knew and was close to. That alone disgusted her enough, yet she still had a burning passion to know who the girl was and to make her feel how much pain the Cullen's were currently feeling._

"_Wait, who, who was the girl?" Alice asked again as the pieces began to connect in her mind slowly._

"_Alice, please-" Her mother began to protest, but Carlisle cut her off._

"_It was Autumn." He says quietly but loud enough for his daughter to hear._

_There was no mistake to be made, Alice knew this. There was only one Autumn in the town of Forks and she was definitely one of the most desirable young women ever seen. She had beautiful auburn hair that flowed in light curls to her mid-back and she was tall and lean. Everything that anybody looked for in a girl. She somewhat resembled the younger years of Esme, maybe that was why Carlisle had been attracted her, but that did not make it acceptable._

_Suddenly, Alice's emotions changed, just like that, and she was furious again. "What the hell?"_

"_I know you're angry, Alice, but make no mistake when I say that I regret it all so horribly. If I had an opportunity to turn back the clock and resist her advances, I would do it in a nanosecond."_

"_You **slept **with my **best friend **and got her **pregnant **and you expect me to believe that you're sorry for it? You went along for three years pretending like we'd adopted Alfie when really it was just because you wanted to hide your affair with a thirteen year old from Mom?" Alice took a shaky breath. "You're sick and twisted and absolutely disgusting, I cannot bear to look at you. You violated my best friend and believe me, she's no better. She will get just as much of an earful from me as you just have."_

"_I'm sorry, darling. I'm sorry, everyone, so sorry." He tried to plead with the group._

"_Sometimes sorry just isn't enough, Mr Cullen." Jasper concluded the conversation and everyone nodded in agreement._

**End of Flashback**

Alice closed the box she was filled quickly and carried it down the hall to her brother. Edward was waiting by the front door, as predicted, waiting to take the box from her. She smiled and handed him it, "I think this is it from that room."

"Everyone finished, while you were daydreaming everyone else packed all the stuff into the car. You're the last of it," Her brother smiled, taking the box. "Thanks, I'll go put this in the car and come back. Two seconds."

Alice watched as her brother packed the remaining box into the car with the rest and jogged back to her. Edward pulled his younger sister into a tight hug. "I'm gonna miss you, squirt."

"Thanks, podgy, I'll miss you too. What I won't miss is you hogging the bathroom every morning."

"Thanks so much, short legs. I won't miss your whining either, to be honest, but I wasn't going to say that." He winked at his little sister. "Right, I better go say bye and stuff or Mom won't let me go."

"Alright. Can I come stay with you soon?" She asked timidly.

"Yes, you can come stay as soon as we're settled, so in about a week and a half." He grinned down at Alice, hugging her again. "I better go and say bye to everyone else now. Have fun, okay? Don't let the man bring you down."

Alice grinned, "I won't let the man bring me down if you don't!"

Edward had been using the phrase 'don't let the man bring you down' since Alice could remember. She would always reply 'I won't let the man bring me down if you don't' and her brother would look on fondly.

Edward moved on to say his goodbyes to the family. Entering the Hale household family room, he met the many pairs of sad eyes waiting for their time to say farewell. His mother broke down into tears quickly as she sobbed about the only men in her life leaving her one by one. This show of emotions made Edward wonder if his mother really was upset or if she was just too weak to live without her sons and husband. Cassidy Hale, mother of Jasper, Rosalie and Annabel Hale, was teary-eyed as Edward approached her to say farewell.

"Goodbye, Mrs Hale." He placed a friendly, family style kiss to her left cheek and hugged her tightly. "I'll miss how you were with me when my mom was depressed. I'll visit soon, and you have to come visit too."

"Sure, I'll come visit, honey. Don't you worry about me, I'll be fine and I'll take good care of your momma. Drive safe, okay? Call me when you're there, or call one of us at least." Cassidy reassured Edward.

Cassidy Hale had always thought of Edward as a son, not only because of the turmoil that the two families had experienced together or the idea of being his substitute mother whilst Esme was elsewhere (in the mental sense), but because of their connection. They had always been close in a family respect, what with him being her son's best friend. It resembled any best friend and mother relationship.

Edward finished his goodbyes and almost everyone in the room was in tears. Nobody wanted him to leave; he was like the glue that held everyone together. As soon as he left, everything would fall apart with no road to repair. It would be permanently broken because it would mean that it was all reality and not just a bad nightmare.

As Alice watched her brother leave the house as a resident one last time, she began to wonder what it would be like to live away from all of the drama; just to get away from it all. It would be so peaceful, she would be able to live the way she liked. No pressure, wasn't that what Edward had said to her the day before? Living alone is no pressure, not compared to their current living style anyway. But how would she do it? She had Jasper, who most certainly would not move away from his home. The prominent issue in Alice's mind was whether or not she would be able to be independent enough to live alone. She decided to push down the idea until she had a chance to discuss it somewhat with Jasper.

Everyone was sat in the family room of the Hale household. The silence was thick and overbearing in the air, not to mention awkward. No one was willing to move or speak, especially the latter; to them, the moment seemed too fragile, as though if they spoke or moved then all that had just happened would become a reality. It mirrored the day that Carlisle left, the way that people were acting. Everyone in the room was poised differently: Jasper with his arm around Alice who was equally as comfortable curled into his side; Esme, rigid as a board with silent tears pouring down her face; Cassidy sat next to her husband smiling fondly at the ground, remembering the easy times whilst Alexander stared at the floor wondering where it all ended; Rosalie and Emmett curled up together looking overwhelmed by the progression and finally, Annabel, sitting on a chair in a corner with her legs curled to her chest, feeling awkward. It was as if the two families could not escape the angst that had seemed to overtake their days.

That kicked Alice's brain into motion and she began plotting to move away before consulting Jasper like she had convinced herself to. Suddenly, crazy thoughts of moving overseas and as far away as possible were floating through her head when she knew full well that the ideas weren't plausible.

Contrasting with the rest of the room, Alice stood quickly, pulling Jasper with her. She whispered softly in his ear, "I need to talk to you about something."

His short and sharp nod indicated that the pair were leaving the room. Esme's once silent sobs suddenly became fully audible. It was certain that each individual in the room felt their heart breaking for Esme Cullen, who was so broken in such little time. Carlisle Cullen had no idea what he had done and what wreckage he had left behind for the Cullens and Hales to piece back together and Edward's departure only made it worse for the poor woman; it was a wonder that she was surviving.

Alice and Jasper walked into the kitchen opposite the silent family room, hand in hand. Jasper's curiosity got the better of him; he suddenly stopped in the middle of the room and asked, "What's going on? Did you actually need to speak to me about something or did you want to get out of there?"

"There's something I actually need to speak to you about." Alice demanded, pulling Jasper to the table in the centre of the kitchen. "Please, sit down."

"Fine, what's going on?" He wanted to know and soon.

"I have a crazy idea," Alice began carefully, feeling as she was treading on broken glass. It was a surreal idea but she really wanted to go ahead with it.

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**Author's Note: So, that's the first chapter of my first multi-chapter fiction. I hope you like it! I will update at 5 reviews. Here's my new review poem:**

**_Reviews are inspiration amongst other things,_  
**

**__****_I admit that they make me write quicker,_**

**_They put the wind beneath my wings,_**

**_So if you review, you'll get a little flicker._**

**_Love equals teaser,_**

**_Reviewers deserve a kiss,_**

**_From Miss Danielle Peazer,_**

**_Much love, from Liss._**

**_xxx_**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: So, chapter two. That means we got 5 reviews, right? Well done guys! It took a while but we got there! _WeSailAtTwilight_ said that she loved my review poem, so thank you! I haven't got much to say except that I'm trying to get my work out there, so please by all means recommended it to friends and people you know. Also, I'm going to start putting teasers on Fictionators too, so look out for those. At first it may seem like the story is progressing too quickly, but it's all a part of my mental plan. It will run from the never posted ending of _What Is The World Coming To? _Fluently into the the beginning of _Affairs, Love and Secrecy _with a little twist! It will be quite the long fic ending up at least 65 chapters, maybe even more. Anyway, enough of my rambling... Here's the chapter!**

**Chapter Two**

Alice took a breath, as she thought it over in her head, he shook her shoulder lightly, "Alice?"

"Sorry, I completely zoned. Right, so... I was thinking of something completely crazy." A quick nod from Jasper and she progressed, "I want to move out."

"Why is that crazy?" Jasper couldn't grasp why that was so crazy; he himself had also thought about moving out, away from the mayhem in his family home.

Alice rolled the thoughts around her head a little more before breathing heavily. "I mean, I want to move out of the country."

Jasper's jaw dropped instantly and he was lost for words. "I... I..."

"I told you it was crazy." She mumbled. "I completely understand if you'd rather stay here, but I really can't. You can still visit though, you know that right?"

"I... I can't leave my family this way, Alice... How would we tell them? And when would we go? They just received the huge blow that Edward's gone and I know for a fact that Emmett and Rosalie are going in the next few weeks, we're all they have left, Ali. We can't just leave them."

"I'm not saying you have to come, Jasper! I specifically used the letter _I_, not us or we. I am going. I don't know what you're doing but I'm getting out of here at the first opportunity I get, I can't take much more." Alice snapped in annoyance.

She was beginning to feel as if no one actually listened to her. They listened but never heard, really; either that or they misinterpreted what she was saying. When she said that _she_ wanted to move, she meant it literally. She didn't want to force anyone do anything that they didn't want to; she just wanted to get away from her insane family.

Alice Cullen was a woman of many words, only because she had no other way to express herself. She was never quite sure how things should be properly worded, so she generally spat out every word in her brain related to that single sentence until the recipient understood.

"I don't want you to leave, Alice." Jasper murmured, heartbreakingly. "I don't want to be without you again and you know it, so why are you doing this to me?" He asked, a little more forcefully this time.

"I'm sorry, I just can't take this anymore. You know how hard it's getting for me, Jas, we talked about this just last night. I thought you'd maybe gotten the hint that I wanted to get out of here."

"But why overseas? Why not somewhere cross country?"

"I can't bear to be that close to them, to be within reach of their needs. If I stay any longer they're going to drown the only life I have left out of me," She touched her boyfriend's face lovingly. "I love you, but I just can't stay."

Jasper's eyes filled with tears and he turned away from his girlfriend's pleading eyes, unable to meet her sad gaze. Her chocolate brown eyes seared into the centre of his shoulder blades. At four feet ten inches, Alice was considered small, or a more preferable term in our day and age, a midget. Jasper towered over her at six feet two inches but was average height for a man of his age.

He began to speak to the wall, knowing he could not bear to speak to her, "I can't let you go without being us again, Alice. We can't depart like this; I wasn't intending on telling you yet, but..."

He sighed, still facing the wall, "I have a vacation booked for us. Just us."

"What? When? Where?" Alice demanded.

Jasper's face lit up in a grin at her excitement, not that anyone but the wall could see it. "In three weeks, we'll be on our way to Maui for a whole month. My family have a villa there which we can stay in."

"We're going to Hawaii? Oh my god, Jasper; I've always wanted to go to Hawaii!" She squealed.

"I know, baby, that's why I booked it! I wanted to surprise you, but you ruined it..." He pouted, thickening his southern accent for effect, still facing the wall.

Before he knew it, a petite body was pulling him around to face the open air again. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! You're the best boyfriend in the world." She peppered kisses on his lips as she proclaimed how amazing he was.

"Thank you." He said, smugly.

For that moment in time, the pair forgot all about their argument over England and Alice's desire to move; all that was flooding their minds presently was thoughts and dreams about their first holiday alone. Alice sighted this as an opportunity to really reconnect with Jasper, as the two had drifted apart in this stressful time. Maui was Alice's dream holiday destination and she could wish for nothing better than to go there for a whole month.

Later that night, Esme was weeping on the couch about how she never wanted her last two babies to leave because it was so hard for her to deal with and Alice began to feel immensely bad. She knew then, she needed to have a long and in depth chat with her brother, Emmett. He had always helped her with her problems, no matter what. So, at precisely eleven pm, she sneaked out of the bedroom she shared with Jasper and rapped lightly on the wooden door of her elder brother's room. A loud grunt came from inside and Alice knocked a little louder. Another grunt. She slowly turned the doorknob and open the door, poking her head around the edge carefully.

"Emmett? It's me, Ali." She said quietly, not wanting to wake him if he was sleeping.

"Alice? Oh, hey, come in." He welcomed her. "What's up?"

"I want to move, but Jas doesn't." She blurted before she even moved from the doorway. A puzzled look from her brother urged her to continue. "I told him I really want to get away from all the drama and chaos that seems to surround our families. I told him I want to move to England, Emmett, because I do, I really do. But he doesn't want to and then he told me that he's booked us a month in Maui in three weeks time, but I don't know what to do because I love him and I don't want to lose him again but I really can't stay here and I don't know if I'll last three more weeks and you and Rosalie are moving out, I mean what if Mom goes psycho and tries to stop once of us moving? I seriously have no clue at the moment about anything. Em, I need help, basically." She pleaded.

"Okay, calm the heck down to begin with and tell me exactly what he said." Her brother placed a light, reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Did he tell you he wanted to break up?"

"No, he didn't say that but it was definitely implied. He said that he didn't want to be without me again and wanted to know why I was doing this to him and why couldn't we move cross country instead of overseas because it was unfair to his family, so why was I making him choose?" She took a breath. "Emmett, I don't know what you took from that, but I took that as a if you leave we're done kind of warning."

"Okay, so he's threatening your relationship if you leave, basically. So, do it, Alice, just go. If he loves you as much as he's making out, he'd support you in all of your decisions and would understand why you wanted to get so far away. Alice, I know nothing about you two as a couple and I don't wish to, but I know that if Rosalie was to turn around to me now and say what you've said to Jasper, even if I didn't want to move, I would. If I didn't go with her, I'd feel horrible but if I, by choice, didn't go, I would not in a million years end the relationship. If he cares, he won't end it. He might not move with you for a little while, but he won't break up with you. If he does then it's his loss, Al, you're a great girl." Emmett told her. He pulled her into a hug and they rocked like they did as kids. Alice loved how close the pair still were after everything.

"To be honest though, Rose and I are moving to Spain to get away because we both feel the same way as you. This family is full of way too much drama and the only way to get far enough away to cut ourselves out of it is to go overseas. Mom will find it hard to let go, okay? Especially when you tell her you're going to England, but once you've left, she won't be able to hurt you or pull you down any longer, okay? Just remember that when she's sobbing on the floor." Emmett winked, jokingly but seriously at the same time. "Don't you dare let her stop you. Now go and start organising a house and stuff for you to live in. I have a lot of money because of my last wage and Rosalie's family in Spain are buying our house for us, fully furnished and everything. Spend what you need to and I'm here to help and pay any time you need me."

"Thank you, Emmett. I don't know what I'd do without you," Alice smiled for the first time properly since Edward had left them earlier that day. "I'm going to pursue my dream of being a Redcoat at Butlins. It sounds so stupid, but I really can't imagine myself anywhere else in England. I'm going to Skegness!" She squealed loudly and jumped up and down in excitement.

"Okay, so what are you doing about Maui?" Emmett added.

"I'll have to talk to Jas about that and see what happens." She sighed before smiling again at the prospect of a new life ahead of her.

Alice skipped off excitedly to her bedroom to find her laptop. She pulled out the case from the underneath of hers and Jasper's bed, carefully lifting it up onto her lap. She sat atop the covers, carefully unzipping her laptop and tossing the bag to the side. Opening the computer, she pressed the power button, making it kick into action. The fan whirred and the screen lit up. Once the screen had loaded up, she tapped in her password quickly.

When she had logged in, she quickly pulled up Google Chrome and searched up Butlins, Skegness. Suddenly, an IM popped up in the corner from Jasper's grandmother, Jeanette. Alice then remembered that she was signed into Jasper's account.

_**Jeanette Hale:** Hello dear, how are you and your family?_

_**Jasper:** Hey, Mrs Hale, it's Alice. :) Jasper left his IM logged in on my computer._

_**Jeanette Hale: **Hello, Alice. How are you and my grandson doing?_

_**Jasper: **We're okay, thanks. How is everything your end?_

_**Jeanette Hale: **Typical British weather as usual, but everything else is fine. How are your families? I heard about your father. I'm sorry, dear. Xx_

_**Jasper: **Thanks, but it was his loss. He made the mistake and I guess my mother just can't stop beating herself up for it. My brothers and I are over it. Mr and Mrs Hale are still shaken because my mother is stressing and overreacting. Wait, you live in England?_

Alice suddenly had a brainwave. Jasper's grandparents lived in England; she wanted to move there. Emmett was providing unlimited money. She had everything she needed to move. All of the organisation needed via England could be done with the help of Jeanette and Andrew Hale.

_**Jeanette Hale:** That's a shame. I shall have to call Esme and ask her if she'd come to visit so she can relax a bit and get away from it all. How would you like to join her? Yes, I do live in England, in a small town in Lincolnshire called Skegness. It's near a holiday park called Butlins._

_Bingo_, Alice thought to herself.

_**Jasper: **About that... I need to ask you something. It's kind of important, but you can't tell anyone, please._

_**Jeanette Hale:** I can do that. Not even Jasper?_

_**Jasper: **No, because he's against the idea. I'm doing this alone and it's crazy, I know. But, please, please, please don't tell._

_**Jeanette Hale: **Okay, dear. Seeing as you're like a granddaughter to me, I will keep this secret for you._

_**Jasper: **I want to move to England._

_**Jeanette Hale: **That's amazing, darling! I'm so happy for you, it will be lovely to see you! Whereabouts in England do you want to move?_

_**Jasper: **Skegness to pursue my dream of becoming a Redcoat at Butlins. Ever since I was a kid and we went on vacation there, I wanted to be like them. Now, I have the opportunity to do it, so I'm doing it._

_**Jeanette Hale: **What do you need from me?_

**{AN: Apologies for the lengthy IM sesh, I thought it was necessary to highlight Jeanette's character but it is a little much, hopefully you'll find it all appeasing}**

Alice grinned at Jeanette's willingness to help her in pursuing her move overseas. By the end of the conversation (which was pretty lengthy, touching on two hours), the pair had an agreement settled. Jeanette would help Alice get over to England without the families kicking up a fuss if Alice would keep in contact with Jeanette regularly. Jeanette often thought of Alice as her grandchild because her and Alice were much closer than her and Jasper. The pair had agreed that it would all be done within a month, all Alice had to do was apply for Butlins and everything should go to plan.

Later that day, Jasper was still flicking odd looks at his girlfriend who had been snooping around all day. He had seen her less that day than he used to at school and that was saying something. He wondered what she was up to and whether she was still stuck on the idea of moving so far away. Jasper knew that if she moved overseas, he could not join her. He didn't have the heart to do such a thing to his family, especially at such a harrowing time. He couldn't quite wrap his mind around how Alice could just walk away from her so obviously broken mother and not help in any way. Esme needed her daughter, evidently, and it was going to break her beyond repair when she found out that all her kids were going to have "flown the nest" as they say. Sighing heavily, Jasper sat back in his seat and tried to settle his active mind before he began to over think things.

-**HAVEN'T WE BEEN THROUGH ENOUGH**-

Jeanette Hale sat in her rocking chair in the corner of the living room, awaiting her husband's homecoming. She was eager to tell him Alice's plans but wasn't sure how he would react. Andrew Hale loved Alice also as grandchild, just like his wife, but was as equally close to his grandson, Jasper. She had told Alice she would look for some kind of apartment for her, in case she did not get the job. It would also be a getaway for when she got sick of being around the Butlins site or if the staff accommodation was not suited to her liking. Jeanette had been informed of Emmett's offer and was glad to help. She had met all of the Cullen children and loved them very much like her own grandchildren. After receiving the news of Rosalie and Emmett's new relationship, Jeanette was elated; she had been waiting for years for that moment.

A key fumbled into the lock of the front door and Andrew Hale walked into the living room and over to his wife. He placed a kiss on her cheek, smiling, "Hello dear."

"Hello. How was work?"

"It was good. The issue that we had yesterday with John was resolved today and thankfully I wasn't involved. He got fired."

Jeanette smiled sadly at the news of Andrew's best friend being fired. "Oh dear. That must have been hard to see. I'm sorry, darling."

"It's not your fault, he had it coming and we all knew it. I just didn't think he would take it so roughly. He cried, Jeanette, he actually cried." He sighed heavily, sitting down on the couch opposite to his wife's seat heavily. His head fell into his hands and he rubbed his face. "I had to leave the room when he walked out of the office crying, I couldn't take it."

"I'm sure he will find a much better job and be okay again, dear. I have some news that may cheer you up a lot." A smile crept onto Jeanette's face.

"I'd love to hear it, I think I'm going to lay down afterwards though." He replied glumly.

"You remember little Alice Cullen, don't you?" Jeanette paused whilst she waited for an answer. Her husband nodded, smiling a little at the memory of the short teenager running around his back yard. "She's moving right here to Skegness, to pursue her dream of being a Redcoat and we're helping her."

Andrew momentarily froze, absorbing the information. "Alice is moving here? What about Jasper, is he coming too?"

"No, Jasper doesn't want to move away from Cass and Alex. Alice is sick of the bickering and pain floating around and needs a fresh start. I don't blame her, that's exactly why we moved out here because they can't get to us here."

The pair continued chattering in excitement over the future for a couple of hours and Andrew never did make it to bed to lie down.

-**HAVEN'T WE BEEN THROUGH ENOUGH**-

Back in the Hale/Cullen household, there was chaos on the bottom floor as usual, but upstairs was Alice, sitting in her room on her laptop. There were four pages open in the browser: Bourne Leisure's Redcoat application; an estate agent website; Twitter and Facebook. Currently, Alice was filling in the application for Redcoat. She had almost finished, she was on the last question section.

_Do you agree to undergo pre-employment, random or for cause drug testing? __**Yes**_

_Do you hold a valid work permit? (Non EU nationals only) **N/A**_

_Is there any matter the company should be made aware of which may affect your ability and suitability to perform the functions of the position for which you are applying? **No**_

_If 'yes' please supply details on a separate sheet._

_Do you hold a valid full driving licence? **No**_

_If you answered no but are taking your test can you provide the date: **N/A**_

_Please detail any current endorsements: **N/A**_

Alice grinned as she hit the "send" button and the thank you message appeared on the screen. One down, one to go. She closed the Bourne Leisure website and moved back to the estate agent web page. She had found a flat not too far from Jeanette and Andrew's house which she was immensely happy about. She applied for it and then opened Facebook where there was a chat log to Jeanette open.

_**Alice Cullen**_

_Hey, I found an apartment! I sent the application and they will get back to me in a few days. I will keep you up to date. - Alice xx_

She hit "send" and closed the page quickly as she heard footsteps approaching her door. The door creaked open and Jasper popped his head around it.

"Hey, Al." He said timidly.

She smiled slightly yet nervously because she didn't know how Jasper would react to her going ahead with everything when he clearly didn't believe she would. "Hey."

"What you doing?" He was genuinely curious but at the same time wanted to understand what his girlfriend was spending all of her time on suddenly. There was an awkward silence and Jasper frowned to himself subtly, "Ali?"

"Yeah?" Her mind, currently elsewhere, was brought back to reality. "Sorry, I was in my own world."

"What were you doing? On the computer?" He asked.

"Does it matter?" She asked gently.

"No, I was just curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat, Jasper." She smiled cheekily before sauntering out of the room.

**Author's Note: So, let me know what you think! I will update once I have 10 reviews. I apologise for not being able to update dead on five, I hadn't finished writing. Let me know any suggestions you have for this story – I'm open to ideas that I can weave into my plot. Here's my review poem, maybe it will inspire you to leave one as they inspire me to write. Many thanks for reading and I'll see you next time!**

**_Reviews are inspiration amongst other things,_  
**

**_I admit that they make me write quicker,_**

**_They put the wind beneath my wings,_**

**_So if you review, you'll get a little flicker._**

**_Love equals teaser,_**

**_Reviewers deserve a kiss,_**

**_From Miss Danielle Peazer,_**

**_Much love, from Liss._**

**_xxx_**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: I can't believe we're here already! Chapter three! It seems short to you, but to me, this is twirling along like a whirlwind and I haven't been hit with any major block yet {touch wood, I won't!} so I'm writing reasonably fast. I don't have much to say this chapter except thanks for your reviews, I love you all and hope you continue to follow this twisty turn-y weird little plot of mine. Thank you once again to _WeSailAtTwilight_ for telling me that she can totally envision Alice as a Redcoat – good because so can I! But I'm totally living out my dream through her too. My parents would never let me be a Redcoat (cry!) even though I'm moving an hour away from Butlins (woohoo!) if all goes well. For those asking, Bella and Edward still live in America, just a couple of states away. Also, you will have to wait and see what happens about Maui, _Sarah _V! Anyway, here's the chapter!**

**Chapter Three**

It had been a week since the incident in the bedroom where Alice's plotting was almost uncovered. Rosalie and Emmett's things were being moved over to Spain behind Esme's back and the families were going out for dinner that night to break the news. Also, Alice's plans were going well and she had sealed the deal with the landlord via Jeanette. Alice now owned the apartment and her things were very slowly being packed. She was breaking the news that night at dinner too. Jasper was a different story; she was completely unsure of how to tell him or whether to leave it until dinner. It was safe to say she was struggling to decide. It was 5pm and they were meeting at the restaurant at 7pm, so Alice had two hours to get ready and be there so now was not the time to panic. Everyone else was already out somewhere and making their way there, except Jasper, Alice and Annie whose boyfriend, Liam, was meeting them at the house five minutes before they left.

Alice pulled her outfit out of the wardrobe. It consisted of a cropped faded blue tee that showed off her toned stomach paired with some mud brown shorts that came to mid thigh and had matching suspenders clipped to them which would pull over her shoulders. Her hair would be in perfect ringlets, curled with her styling wand, and covered by a brown trilby with a black band around the rim. Jewellery wise, she was wearing her Alice In Wonderland charm bracelet, her gold and amber-y orange clock face necklace that had other charms on it too, finished with a two finger gold ring that was attached by multiple thin chains. On her feet would be dark brown faded and worn boots that laced up to the middle and then folded at the top to give a slouchy effect to them. She would cover her statement outfit with a long beige trench coat. Alice showered and put on all of her jewellery, then her clothes minus the coat, then her shoes. She styled her hair with her curling wand and then sprayed it with firm hold hairspray to keep it in. Then she made a start on her make up. She had earlier decided on quite a natural look, choosing a slightly darker tone of blush to highlight her cheeks, a light pinky coloured lip gloss, tan eye shadow and the customary foundation. Her eyeliner was in cute Taylor Swift style flicks and complimented by large lashes styled by False Lash Effect Mascara. She pulled on the trench and walked downstairs to find Jasper and Annie awaiting her arrival.

"Hey. Are you guys ready? Where's Liam?" She asked tentatively.

"Yeah, we're ready. Liam will be here any minute." Jasper said, a weird look crossing his face. Alice thought nothing of it and brushed it off quickly.

"Okay." She smiled brightly at him. There was a knock at the door and Annie got up to answer it. Alice walked over to Jasper and wrapped her small arms around his waist, looking up at him, before saying softly, "Hey."

"You just said that." He replied coldly.

Alice noticed his tone and frowned, "What's wrong, Jas?"

"My grandma called, asking how the apartment plans are going and if you got that Redcoat job you applied for." He said sharply. Before Alice could even begin to explain, he cut her off. "I don't want to hear it, Ali. How could you do that and just not tell me?"

"I-"

"Like I said, I don't want to hear it." Jasper cut her off again before taking her arms from around him and walking toward the door to greet Liam, after plastering a fake smile on his face.

The drive to the International House of Pancakes was beyond awkward. Jasper drove and Alice stared out of the window whilst Annie and Liam were all snuggled up in the back. Annie could tell something was wrong but didn't want to ask in case it caused an argument. When the group pulled up to IHOP, Alice took off her trench coat and left it in the car before picking up the grey zip down hoodie she'd grabbed on the way out. She pulled the hoodie on and left it open as they walked toward the doors.

The group walked through the doors, Jasper first, Annie and Liam adjoined by the hands second and Alice last. Alice spotted her family and ran over to hug her mother. Esme gladly pulled her daughter into a tight embrace. She felt like the two had drifted apart since Carlisle had moved out and needed the closure, knowing that her children were near her still after losing her husband.

"Hey, Mom." Alice smiled sweetly, unable to take her eyes off Jasper, wondering if they would be okay. "How are you coping?"

The young, height disadvantaged girl took her mother's face in her hands and looked deep into her eyes, trying to read her true emotions and emit some happiness back into her life. She knew it was cruel because she would tear it all back down again in a matter of moments, but it felt necessary.

"I'm doing better, sweetie. Stop worrying about me, worry about yourself." Her mother said, a loving look crossing her face as she smiled.

The families sat down at a large table after everyone exchanged pleasantries. Alice sat between Jasper (forced to sit next to his girlfriend after many taunting remarks from his family) and Emmett, her elder brother. To Emmett's left was Rosalie then Alexander and finally Cassidy. To Jasper's right was Annabel then Liam and finally Esme.

The family had just finished ordering drinks and starters when the door creaked open slowly. Jasper's eyes shot to the door when he heard a familiar clearing of the throat. Walking toward the counter was an incredibly familiar tall, dark haired figure. He wore a leather jacket with a burgundy tee and dark jeans, his feet clad with brown brogues. His hair was spiked and his face covered in minimal stubble. His sea blue eyes cut Jasper's hazel green ones immediately as they met in a battle of authority. Carlisle stared Jasper down until he just glared and looked away.

Jasper put his arm around Alice's waist, pulling her into his side protectively. She shuddered slightly at the feel of his arm around her again. She looked to him and frowned, whispering, "I thought you were mad."

"I am, but promise me something?" He asked.

She nodded and smiled, "Anything."

"Don't look over there and if I tell you to look down, do it, okay?"

"What, why?" She was utterly confused by the request. She looked up and coming towards her was none other than the one person she didn't want to see.

"Look down!" Jasper hissed.

"Hello." A deep voice greeted as Alice looked to the table subtly. "I didn't realise you would all be here. Esme, why did you invite me?"

"What?" Alice shouted. She was fuming. "You _invited_ him?"

"I can explain-" Her mother began.

"You know what, fine, whatever. Sit down and join the _fun_, play happy families." Alice snapped.

"Alice-" Carlisle started to protest.

"Leave it, will you?" Jasper butted in. "She's having a hard enough time, okay? Don't make it any worse."

Alice moved into Jasper's side a little more, resting her head on his shoulder and he rubbed her arm soothingly. "It's okay, Ali. Can we go talk outside for a moment?"

She nodded against his shoulder and the pair got up and asked everyone in their way to move before they left with no explanation. Everyone left at the table was bewildered, except for Rosalie and Emmett who knew what they were going to talk about.

The pair walked out with joined hands. They got outside the door of IHOP and Jasper stopped abruptly. After a couple of moments silence, he said, "Okay. So, tell me."

"Tell you what?" Alice replied, confused.

"Tell me the big news that you're going to tell everyone. I know already, but tell me properly, Alice." He tried to remain calm, but it wasn't working so well.

"I'm moving to Skegness near your grandparents to become a Redcoat. I have an apartment kitted out already and I was really hoping you'd join me. But, you already made it loud and clear that you want nothing to do with it, so I went ahead and did it on my own. I told you, Jas, I can't remain here around all this drama." Her eyes were filling with tears, but she couldn't stop. As she spoke, the tears grew heavier and soon she was sobbing her words instead of speaking them. "I'm moving next week, Jasper. I got the job and I have a place to live. I start Redcoat Academy next week for three weeks then I start. I'm so sorry and I hope this won't affect our relationship."

"You hope it won't affect our relationship? Alice, you're moving over the water. How can it not?" He snapped in return at his sobbing girlfriend.

"Your grandmother gave me a valuable piece of advice this past week." She muttered.

"You're leaving me, Alice. In every sense, you're leaving me. How could you do this?" He continued, not even listening to her.

"She told me," Alice raised her voice over his for a moment. "That if you really loved me, you wouldn't blame me or tell me I'm stupid or idiotic for following my dreams; that you wouldn't break up with me because love is a bond so strong that it can't be broken. She said if you really, truly love me and we're meant to be, that you will let me walk away and you won't end this because you'll fully understand why I have to do it. She also told me that eventually you will come with me, but not yet because you're attached to your family and can't abandon them in this situation."

"Alice, you're doing exactly what I won't."

"She also said that you would probably never understand how I'm finding this so easy because we're in totally different places. Your family aren't broken, Jasper. They're just the comfort to ease my mother's pain. They feel an ounce of her pain, not all of it, but you all believe you're so hard done by and so broken too. You're not. Neither are me and my brothers. You don't understand my mother like we do; she likes to over exaggerate to get sympathy and people to listen to her. She will play out the "broken little wife who was cheated on by her husband with a thirteen year old then had their child under their roof for three years" act forever, if she thinks it will keep the public attention on her. You saw it back there, Jasper, she called him and invited him because she misses him. She makes out like she's got so much to live for without him and it's going to be so easy to get over him but so hard to forget what he did because it'll scar her kids for life, but in reality, she's never going to leave him. She's a fragile and weak woman who will take back her cheating husband as many times as he asks because she truly can't live without him. It sounds horrible to the ear because it is, but they say reality hurts. Let me tell you something, they were right." She finishes firmly. "So don't blame me for wanting to get away from a conniving, twisted and sick woman who likes to call herself my mother and make out I'm so broken when I'm not. I couldn't care less about him anymore, he's scum. Same with Edward and Emmett. We're over it and we want to move on. At least their girlfriends supported them because they saw how much it was pulling them down to be around her." She added snarkily.

"Don't turn this around on me, Alice! You have no right!"

"No, _you_ have no right, trying to tell me how to live my life. If you want this to end, then go ahead and do it." She was getting annoyed about how little he could understand of her decision.

Jasper sighed and walked back inside. Alice followed, a frown carved into her face, hissing, "Don't walk away from me! We were having a discussion! Jasper, get back here!"

"Just, stop it, Alice." He said before resuming his seat.

"I'll be back in a moment, guys, I just need to call Jeanette." Alice said, excusing herself to the bathroom. She pulled out her phone and found Jeanette then quickly pressed call.

Earlier that day, she had received an email saying that her application had been successful and that they wouldn't normal hire mid-season but under her circumstance they were willing to make an exception. It also said that she would be heading off to Redcoat Academy to be privately trained in one week, if she was still interested. She immediately replied letting them know she would be there and she was most definitely still interested. They then sent her some documents informing her of the itinerary and what she would need to bring to the Academy and what she was allowed to bring to Butlins.

"Hello?" Jeanette's soft and tired voice rang through Alice's ears.

"Hi, Jeanette! It's Alice! I was calling about the Redcoat job I applied for... And I kind of needed to talk to you about some stuff."

"What's wrong? Didn't you get it?" Jeanette's voice was filled with concern immediately.

"No, no, I got it! I start Redcoat Academy next week and Emmett booked my flights this morning. I fly out on Friday. So, in two days and then the Academy starts Monday." Alice grinned to herself.

"That's good! It'll be good to see you again, dear."

"You too, Jeanette. Jasper isn't taking it well though; he practically broke up with me."

"Oh, darling, what did I tell you? He's a smart boy, he'll come around. If not, it was never supposed to happen anyway. You'll be fine. Your job will keep you occupied enough to not think about him and I promise, as soon as you see those Redcoats... Some of them are pretty easy on the eyes." Jeanette joked, chuckling down the phone.

"That's a good thing. I can't wait to get started now, it's just a case of waiting!"

"Are you living on site or in your apartment?"

"I'm going to live on site because it's easier access to stuff but I will use my apartment to keep spare stuff in that I can't take on site. It will also be where I wash my clothes and stuff. I will spend time in it when I'm off work too, so like when we're closed for end of season or whatever, I'll live in my apartment."

"That sounds like excellent usage, sweetie. I need to go make Andrew a cup of tea, I will speak to you when you land here on Friday, okay? We'll arrange to go out for a meal or something." Jeanette concluded the conversation in much resistance.

"Okay, see you Friday, Jeanette!" Alice said cheerfully and hung up. She slid her phone into her pocket and rejoined the table. "Hey guys."

"Sit down, dear. Rosalie and Emmett have news for us!" Esme was giddy and almost visibly bouncing in her seat.

Alice sat quickly as her brother began to speak. "So, Rosalie and I are moving out."

Esme let out her first gasp and Emmett continued, "We're moving quite far."

Rosalie let out a puff kind of noise, "Pfft, if you can call Spain 'quite' far, it's much further than that."

"Wait... _**SPAIN**_?" Esme and Cassidy spluttered in unison, looking back and forth between each other. Esme's sobs became loud and broken as she gasped for air. Cassidy rubbed between her shoulder blades soothingly.

Jasper was staring intensely at Alice. Suddenly, Emmett leaned over the table to whisper to his younger sister, "Ali, if you're going, tell now. Then we'll get our food to go and leave this place before they start a scene."

She nodded firmly and blurted, "I'm moving to England to be a Redcoat at Butlins. Jeanette and Andrew are helping me, I have an apartment and a job already and I fly out on Friday."

"You're- moving abroad- too?" Esme's broken speech filled the air as she began to sob harder.

"I'm sorry, Mom, but none of us can take the drama anymore. Why could you not have just been done with it like we were? You had to keep continuing on and on about it. I can't stick around to watch you ruin your own life. I'm sorry."

Emmett and Rosalie nodded in agreement before Rosalie added, "Mom, Dad, I don't mean to be disrespectful but you guys are doing it too. You're embracing every time she brings it back up and treating her specially. It's tiring, Mom! We're living the same day over and over and I can't do it anymore. Jasper can't walk away because he's as stuck as you guys, but Alice and Emmett and Edward and I, we're sick and tired of it. Edward obviously wasn't as affected as Emmett and Ali because he didn't feel the need to go overseas. But, Mom, I swear, I'm only going so far away because else I can't get away from it properly."

"That's exactly why all of us are going so far away." Emmett concluded. "Now are you going to kick up a fuss and cause drama meaning we have to leave or are you going to act civilised?"

"I- Emmett, how could you do this? And Alice?" She began to splutter.

The trio got up and left behind two families shouting for attention. As they got in their car and drove away, feeling on top of the world.

But in the background of all of the chaos and drama back at IHOP, sitting in silence, was a heartbroken nineteen year old whose girlfriend had just left the restaurant and had intentions to go four thousand, seven hundred and forty two miles away from him.

**Author's Note: Well, well, well. Our little Jasbear {nicknamed, aw yeah} is heartbroken. Even though he was a jerk, I guess he finally realised what he was losing. So, I'm thinking you guys are hating me for this, right? I'm sorry. I truly am, but it has to be done! How 'bout my review poem to cheer y'all up? Oh my gosh, I just realised that I'm talking all Texas-y like Jasper... He's having an effect on me ;) ****Update at 15 reviews :) I think I'm going to carry on like this... +5 reviews = a chapter. Until we have a decent amount of feedback coming in because else I may feel the need to discontinue the story again ;P Or until I get fed up of waiting for the review number, then I'll be uploading randomly... I might set a time scale on uploads though. **Anyway, here's the poem.

___**Reviews are inspiration amongst other things,**_

___**I admit that they make me write quicker,**_

___**They put the wind beneath my wings,**_

___**So if you review, you'll get a little flicker.**_

___**Love equals teaser,**_

___**Reviewers deserve a kiss,**_

___**From Miss Danielle Peazer,**_

___**Much love, from Liss.**_

___**xxx**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: So, chapter four means fifteen reviews, yeah? You guys smashed it this chapter! I got 5 within 24 hours of having posted, that is amazing! I'm sorry it's so late, but you guys were so quick I barely had time to write the chapter! Shout outs to my regular reviewers _Sarah V_ and _WeSailAtTwilight_ and welcome to any new reviewers! To _deltagirl74_, yes, it's true that Ali is being very all or nothing at the moment but she's in a very difficult position and we've all learnt very quickly I'm sure that Esme Cullen is one to make a scene, so I hope you can all kind of understand Alice's dilemma, even though she's being very stubborn about a lot of things. And to _Aimee_, I'm also from England and I am completely and utterly in love with Butlins. I was born in Lincolnshire and grew up going there every year... What can I say? Butlins is my heaven. If I could live there forever, I sure would. Finally, shout out to _Seana,_ who said that she loves my interpretation of Alice and Jasper and enjoyed my review poem! :) I will make a regular habit of these shout outs to my reviewers because it's how I show my appreciation besides giving you a chapter. Anyway, enough of my rambling, on with the chapter. Did I mention I love you guys? Happy reading!**

**_IMPORTANT_: Random bold writing after mention of texts is Alice's text; italic writing after is the recipient's reply. Bold italics after mention of Twitter is Alice's tweet. Okay thanks.**

* * *

**Chapter Four**

"All flights boarding at gate 4 to Humberside Airport, North East Lincolnshire in England please check in now." The intercom resounded around the room.

Alice grinned and looked back to her mother and Jasper's family. "Bye, I'll see you soon, okay?"

They all said their goodbyes apart from Jasper who just stood there silent. He was stunned by her actually going. Something inside him was telling him that she would back out at the last minute and stay with him. But here she was, heading off. He watched her check in at the desk before being pulled away by his youngest sibling, Annie.

Alice boarded the plane and found her seat. She sat down after placing her hand luggage in the overhead baggage holders, holding her iPhone and headphones in her left hand. The usual procedures occurred and before Alice knew it, they were an hour into the flight. She plugged in her ear buds before drifting calmly off to sleep to the sound of her favourite band for the remainder of the eleven hour flight.

The flight passed quickly during Alice's slumber. She woke up as the plane was preparing to land and buckled her seatbelt, still half-asleep.

"We are now approaching Humberside Airport, please stay seated whilst the plane lands, thank you." The intercom resounded.

When the plane touched down and the flight was finally over, Alice moved to take her bag from the overhead compartment. She walked down the aisle in the crowds of people trying to do the same as her: get to their families. Once she was within the confines of the small airport, she looked around to locate Jeanette and Andrew.

She spotted their sign before she spotted them. A big red piece of cardboard with the Butlins logo stuck to it with the words, "_**Butlins' newest Redcoat: Alice Cullen from Dallas, Texas!**_" across the middle floated above most heads searching for their incoming guests. Alice headed toward the sign and hugged Jeanette and Andrew.

"Hello! Oh, Alice darling, you've grown so much since we last saw you!" Jeanette gushed. "You're still that petite little angel you always were though... Oh, we've missed you so much..."

"I missed you too! It's so good to be here for good." Alice grinned widely, finally feeling like she belonged somewhere that wasn't shattered.

They collected Alice's luggage from the belt and made their way out to the car. Once the cases were in the boot and the passengers in their seats, Jeanette began to explain what they would do on arrival.

"Right, so, when we get to Skegness we will go to your flat first. We will unpack and set up everything so that it feels a little bit more home-like. Then, we're going to go out for lunch at one of the restaurants in the town centre before taking you on a little tour about the town. We'll finish the day by showing you our house and how far it is from yours. Do you have your license yet?"

"Yeah, in America, but not here."

"You might have to redo your driving test because there are some differences in the way we drive here." Jeanette explained. "Tomorrow and Sunday we're taking a two day holiday to Butlins to get a feel for the place. You'll be able to see how the Redcoats are supposed to act and what type of things you will be expected to do after Redcoat Academy. It will be unusual because they never usually take on mid-season, so you will draw a lot of attention, but try to ignore snide comments and such. They will come around to the idea eventually."

The drive to Alice's apartment was about an hour from Humberside Airport. She chatted at ease with Jeanette and Andrew the whole way there as well as taking in the beautiful countryside that passed by them. When they arrive in Skegness, Alice began to pay real attention to the surroundings. This was her way of trying to get to know the area a little bit before being shown around.

Finally, they pulled into a tranquil area of Victorian houses that were split into apartments. They pulled up outside number sixty five and Alice grinned. The house was absolutely stunning and Cassidy would have loved it. Cassidy was into interior design and loved classic Victorian town houses. When she got out of the car, she quickly snapped a picture of the house before tweeting it and then attaching it to a text to Cassidy.

**This house is your idea of perfect. Hope you like it :) - Alice. Xxxx {_attached: IMG-067}_**

_**This house is stunning, can't believe I'm living here! Xx**_

Alice put away her phone before grabbing a case from the boot of Andrew's car. Each of them held one of Alice's cases and a couple of bags when the car boot was closed and empty, ready to take her things up to the fully furnished apartment. Alice punched in the code to the door before inserting the key that the landlord had mailed to her into the Yale lock. The door sprung open and Alice was greeted by an angry faced young woman.

"You have to ring the doorbell you know, you can't just go kicking doors in! People these days don't understand the meaning of private property. They think that because there's an empty apartment here that they can kick in the door and take up residence." She snapped at the trio stood astounded in the corridor.

"Kate, calm down, darling. She's the new resident," A man came up behind the angry woman, kissing her on the cheek before turning to Alice. "Hello dear, you must be Alice; I'm Garrett Holmes, it's lovely to meet you." He shook her hand firmly.

"Yes," Alice grinned widely. "It's lovely to meet you at last, Mr Holmes. These are my e- some close friends of my family who live here in Skegness, Jeanette and Andrew Hale. They dealt with any meetings needed whilst I was still over in Dallas."

"Call me Garrett," He smiled in a friendly manner. "Ah yes, I remember meeting Mrs Hale on occasion and her assuring me she wasn't you. We had quite the laugh."

"It's lovely to see you again." Jeanette commented with a gracious nod of her head.

"Yes, you too."

Andrew stepped forward, his hand outstretched and a grin on his face. "Hello, I'm Andrew Hale, Jeanette's husband."

"Pleasure to meet you." Garrett smiled. "Alice, your apartment is the top floor, the biggest one."

He pulled forward the woman from before, leaving an arm draped around her waist, "And this is my wife, Kate. We live on this floor. You have a key to the front door and the code, don't you?"

"Yes, I do."

"Okay and you have another key that opens your apartment, correct?"

"Completely."

"That's good, all is in order then! We came to the understanding that you won't be living here twenty four seven because of your job but you will live here for 4-6 months of the year?"

"Yes, that is correct. Being a Redcoat, it's easier to live on site because of the chances of being put on extra shifts and stuff, so when the season is out, I will live here. I will visit here at weekends and stuff too."

"Okay, that's fine by me as long as your payments continue to be paid." Garrett nodded and the five of them finished the conversation before Alice, Jeanette and Andrew made their way upstairs to unpack Alice's things.

When they reached her floor, she slid the key into the lock and as she turned it, the door opened slowly. They walked inside and dropped the cases near the door.

"Wow." Alice commented as she looked around.

Within three hours, they had thoroughly looked around the apartment and unpacked all of Alice's belonging in to the perfect apartment for her. She had also picked out what was staying and what was coming to Butlins and they had left those things in a medium-sized case, ready to take.

Plopping the case next to her wardrobe, Alice fell back onto her bed. "Ah, that feels better."

"Yes, it's quite the apartment you have here... It's lovely." Andrew smiled, patting Alice's shoulder.

Suddenly, Alice's phone began to blare her ringtone, making them all jump. She picked it up and pressed the answer button, "Hello?"

"Alice." A solemn voice said into her ear.

"This is she, who's this, please?" She replied curiously. She was confused.

"It's Jasper."

"Oh! Hey." Her tone immediately changed to a less cheerful one. "Why'd you call?"

"I just... Need to speak to you. It's important. Are you on your own?"

"No, your grandparents are here; we're going out to look around the town." She frowned.

She heard him take a deep breath, "What's going on here? Are we... together?"

"We split up, remember. Look, Jasper, I told you I've come here to get away from the drama. Please don't cause more over the phone. I start work on Monday and I don't want to be dealing with it still."

"I'm sorry, Ali. I really am, I just need some answers before you cut me out completely."

"Go ahead, I'm listening." Alice held up one finger to the questioning couple and mouthed, 'One moment.' before heading into the bathroom. She sat on the bath edge before listening.

"Why so far? Why not just a couple of states away? You moved out of our reach completely..."

"Exactly, I'm out of _their_ reach and they can't hurt me anymore. I didn't do this to spite you, Jasper, I still love you very much but I tried to explain to you why I was going and you couldn't accept it; I had no other choice but to go without you. You could still come, you know." She sighed heavily, wondering if this boy would ever hear what she was trying to tell him.

"I can't leave my family that way, that's what I've been telling you all along, Alice! I can't grasp why you-" He was beginning to shout again and Alice was tiring of it.

"I don't want to hear it, Jasper," She cut him off, mid-rant. "I've told you time and time again. Call me when you're willing to be civilised. In fact, no, actually don't call me. Just stay the hell away, okay?"

"But, Ali-"

"Goodbye." She hung up quickly and slid down the side of the bath; the tears were already threatening to spill over.

Jeanette walked in and took the phone from the sobbing figure on the floor. She dialled her grandson and waited as the phone rang.

"Hello? Alice, is that you?"

"It's your grandmother, Jasper."

"Hey, Nana. What's wrong?" He suddenly sounded worried and concerned.

Jeanette sighed to herself and pinched the bridge of her nose, "Stop hassling, Alice. That poor girl moved here because it was the only way she could be free and you keep hauling it all back up again. She's been here not even a day and she's already crying next to her bathtub. Leave her alone unless you intend to come out here and join her. In fact, if you decide to come out here, then surprise her. Don't call her again; when she wants to talk, she will call you. Do you understand me?"

Jasper was terrified by his grandmother's tone and use of words, "Yes, Nana..."

There was mumbling on Jasper's end and suddenly a very angry Cassidy was on the other line. "Mother, what do you think you're doing threatening my son?!"

"I was doing nothing of the sort. I simply told him to leave Alice alone because it was affecting her already and she came here to avoid exactly that."

"Butt out of it, Mother, you have no clue what's been going and how scarred that girl is-"

"She isn't and that's _exactly_ what she's trying to prove here; that none of this has affected her as badly as everyone seems to believe. She is _trying _to lead a normal life, but all of you keep getting in the way. I'll tell you what I told him: leave her the hell alone and walk away. Let her be herself for once and figure out who she is and what she wants. Maybe then, she'll come to you for contact instead of it being forced on her." Jeanette chose that moment, as her grown daughter fumbled and stuttered on the opposite end, to hang up.

Alice came into the living room with a watery smile on her face, "Thank you. Can we go and see the town now? I really to get my mind away from ho- America. This is home now."

"Of course." Both grandparents looked at each other and nodded.

The three of them left Alice's apartment, ensuring to lock the door beforehand and went out to the car. Alice had come to the conclusion that she was in no need for her own car in England because Jeanette and Andrew's house was a ten minute walk down the road from Butlins and her apartment was only a five minute walk. Tesco, the nearest local supermarket, was also a ten minute walk away. As well as the walking distance of everything being small, Jeanette and Andrew had a car that they had offered to her whenever she needed it. Seeing as she no longer needed her car back home, she had sold it before leaving to give her some back-up money for safety. Emmett and Rosalie had given her what was left of the money they had spare after the apartment was finished and that had brought her to about £20,000 living money. After selling her Porsche, she had about £120,500. She put £110,500 away for a savings account and intended to open a normal bank account for her Butlins wages too whilst in town. The remaining £10,000 of the money was her living expenses etc.

Andrew turned into a parking lot and parked before Jeanette got out to retrieve a ticket from the machine. The three of them walked into the town centre and began to look around. Alice bought some clothes from the stores that she had never seen before, that were only in the UK. She was going to buy food but then remembered that they were headed to Butlins for the weekend on half board.

Their next stop was the town attractions. They stopped off at the seal sanctuary to look around and Alice loved it. She took a couple of pictures and sent them to Facebook for her friends back in America to see how great England was. It wasn't long before someone commented on a photo of a seal that she had posted.

_**Tamara Heely: **Oh my days, that is sooooo adorable, Al! Why aren't I there, please? Do share the destination. I've been all around America and never seen this place, I must've missed it! Missing you loads, babe, college needs to hurry up! Need to see you soooon. Love you sister! xxxxxxxxxxx_

Alice grinned before posting a quick reply while Andrew and Jeanette were paying for the things that they had bought in the gift shop.

_**Alice Cullen:** I know right?! Seals are the best, Tamsy. Actually, it's not in America, it's in England... Missing you loads too babes! Love you too, sister! xxxxxxxxxxx_

Tamara Heely was Alice's best friend back home. The two were inseparable and liked to believe that they were sisters – hence the nickname "sister". She was of similar stature to Alice, but sported light brown hair which was dip-dyed blonde. Her idol was Caroline Flack, so when Caroline did this with her brown hair or wore certain clothes, Tamara did too. The style and hair suited her, nonetheless, but it was silly the way she acted exactly like her.

Her phone buzzed and it was a text from Tamara.

_**Hey girly, we should meet up when you're back from vacation, before college. Okay, sister? - T. Xxxx**_

Alice frowned, wondering if she simply forgot to inform her best friend of her relocation. _Mind you, I didn't tell many people,_ she thought. She shot back a quick reply before locking her phone and shoving it deep into her bag.

_**Sorry Tam, I forgot to let you know because it was hectic but I'm not on vacation... And I'm not coming to college. I'm living in England now and working at Butlins Skegness as a Redcoat. Sorry! :( You will have to come visit for a couple weeks soon! Gtg now, speak soon! – A. Xxxx**_

Andrew and Jeanette finished up at the till, paying for their things and rejoined Alice at the exit doors. They exchanged pleasant smiles before heading out. Their next stop was the main attractions. Alice was showed where the train station was if she ever needed to catch a train anywhere, such as Grimsby, to the airport. Then the three of them headed to finish the day with a trip to Skegness Pier where all of the amusements were and the beach and other touristy things.

They played some games in the various arcades around the area and went to the market – Alice bought a lot at the market, she was entranced by the little souvenirs. They went on some rides and overall had a good time. To end a good night, the trio decided to go for a traditional greasy Lincolnshire fish and chips.

They approached Andrew's favourite restaurant, _Fish and Chip Corner_, who were said to do the best fish and chips in Skegness. They sat at a table and flicked over the menu. Alice picked fish and chips, as did Jeanette, but Andrew opted for steak – his favourite meal. The meal arrived after about twenty minutes and the trio chatted at ease whilst they ate. It was a brilliant night and Alice slept peacefully in her apartment, hoping that the future would hold bright things for her.

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**Author's Note: So? How do you like it? Little less drama this chapter, which I enjoyed writing because drama is _stressful_ honestly. Next update at 20 reviews :) **


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Thank you so much guys! I love all of your feedback and you're all amazing people. Keep it up, please? I'm sorry it's so late, but I'm sure you don't want my sadistic excuses {if you do, see the bottom AN}. This chapter is the beginning of Alice's new start! Hope you like it :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Twilight, Butlins or any other branded and copyrighted names and companies mentioned in this text (sadly). They are purely inserted as non-fictional places/things/people for my brain and imagination to play around with. They belong to the rightful owners and no copyright infringement is intended.**

**However, that said, any original characters mentioned, such as extensions to the Hale and Cullen families are completely my own along with the sub-plots and main storyline and these things must not be used without _expressed permission from myself_ to the person wishing to use them.**

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**Chapter Five**

Alice woke up the next morning and peeped out of her window. It was really sunny outside and her room was the epitome of hot. She picked out a pair of new blue high-waisted hot pants that she bought the day before. She paired them with the new black floral bralet that she bought the day before. Over the top she laid a light grey blazer and on her feet were some cream patent t-bar platform heels. She grabbed the two large Claireabella bags that she had laid to the side and began to pick out her outfits. She decided on some denim short dungarees paired with a floral tee for the next day and then a flowing salmon skirt paired with a cream coloured sleeveless tee with a collar. For the nights, she had a black sequinned covered dress that was paired with some lace patterned tights and her favourite patent peep toe black heels with a bow on the front and also, a button up sleeveless tee with a collar in a navy colour paired with a white flowing skirt that came to mid thigh. To finish the look were some navy slip on patent heels and a white bow tie. She folded the clothes and put them neatly into one of her bags before putting her straighteners, her curling iron, an array of hair ties and clips and some belts, necklaces, scarves and earrings for good measure. She quickly pulled her hair into a top knot, clipped up any straggling hairs and doubled over a blue scarf before looping it around her hair and tying the ends into a bow. Flicking her hair about a bit, she smiled at her finished look. Her eyeliner curved in a perfect mimic of Taylor Swift's style of eye make-up. Her foundation laid on her face evenly and covered any blemishes she may have had.

Alice's mobile phone rang on her bedside table as she finished looping her owl earrings into her ears. She picked it up and pressed the green button before holding it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Ali! It's Annie." Alice could hear the smile in her voice as she spoke. Annie had left the restaurant that night before anyone could notice. Her and her boyfriend, Liam, had sneaked away to reservations at a better and more fancy location, which they hadn't yet disclosed. They hadn't been heard from since and no one knew where they'd gone; Alice, however, had a feeling she was about to find out.

"So, my Nana told me that you guys are going to Butlins for the weekend. Guess what!?"

"What?" Alice replied in anticipation.

"We're already here! Liam and I got away for two weeks to Butlins. We're here 'til next Friday." Annie squealed. The two had always been like best friends - being the same age had hurried this along. Alice desperately didn't want to lose her remaining best friend over her bad break-up with her boyfriend but she felt it inevitable. She had to wait and explain in detail to the one person stuck in the middle who might just see her side of the story and then allow that person to have a say in which side she would take, if any.

"So, you guys are meeting us at McDonalds in about a half hour, right?" Annie knocked Alice out of her daydream.

"Yeah, we are. I can't wait to see you again, Annie! It's been too long."

Annie grinned to herself, "I know right? Okay, I need to get dressed and stuff – see you later though!"

The girls said goodbye before hanging up the call. Alice finished the last bits of packing and was coming down the stairs with the two large bags and a small bag just as Jeanette and Andrew were arriving. "Hey, guys! I'm all set!"

Alice's things were put into the boot with the suitcase of Jeanette and Andrew's and they began the drive to McDonalds to meet Annie and Liam. It took around fifteen minutes to get to McDonalds. Andrew pulled the car into a spot next to the door and everyone got out. The trio were walking towards the doors when all they heard was a loud shriek. Before she knew it, Alice had a feminine figure was attached to her back.

"Hey, Annie." Alice rolled her eyes, chuckling.

"Come on let's eat, I'm starving!" The group entered the fast food restaurant and ate, chatting easily for the whole half an hour that they remained there. An hour after, the black BMW was pulling upto the red and white barrier that kept unauthorised visitors away from the holiday camp that was laid out before them. Jeanette showed their confirmation letter and the guard lifted the barrier. Ten minutes later, they were parked up in the car park nearest the back of the big white tent known as The Skyline.

"Wow, I can't believe I'm really here... It's phenomenal." Alice stated, her mouth hanging open at the sight. It was so much more than she had imagined, so much better than brochures could ever show.

"Yeah, it's something alright." Annie retorted, grinning. Her hand sat comfortably in Liam's and the pair looked happier than ever. "Let's go get some coffee, you need to try Costa. They only do it here in England and it tastes so much better than American coffee."

"Whilst you do that, we will go and queue to check in and put the stuff in our apartments, see you later." Jeanette added. Everyone said their goodbyes and the couple headed off to check in both themselves and Alice.

"Let's go!" Alice grinned, following Annie's lead to the coffee shop.

They passed through the Skyline as it was the quickest way to get to Costa, but Alice tried to take in at least a little of her surroundings as the scene passed over her vision. She noted where some things were and then grinned at the fact that she would be working here in a matter of days. It had a child-like yet fun and vibrant atmosphere lurking everywhere that she went and it was infectious. Her bad mood that seemed to stick with her before had disappeared and she had no doubt that it wouldn't return, so long as she was in this environment. It was a dream working environment and she was sure a lot of people would love to work in an atmosphere that was so uplifting. As they passed through the automated doors at the front of The Skyline, Alice's smile widened. There was so much to learn, but she couldn't wait. It was like a challenge she had yet to tackle and she was eager to dive in. They reached Costa and the interior was just as impressive as Alice had imagined. The walls were a deep red and the whole room gave off a sophisticated aura. Suddenly, her back was a little straighter and her words a little crisper. Annie ordered for them both and Alice couldn't object – besides that she trusted her best friend's judgement. When Annie passed the maroon cup to her, she looked at it suspiciously. "What's in here?"

"It's a vanilla latte... Chill out! It tastes so good," Annie sipped her cup, letting out a satisfactory 'mmm'. "Try it, Ali, it will change your life."

Alice lifted the cup to her lips hesitantly. She stared at the pristine white lid before sipping a little of the hot liquid. It tasted sweet to the tongue and was quite nice. A sensation of enjoyment rippled over Alice's tongue as the liquid flowed down her throat. She definitely would be returning here – often. Thankfully it was close by. The girls took their vanilla latte down to the place that Alice would be staying along with Andrew and Jeanette. The apartment that she had was on the top floor of the block just behind Papa John's, the pizza place. It was incredibly close to everything and was perfect for her weekend stay. The living room and kitchenette were connected as though they were the same room. The kitchenette contained an oven, a small sink with a draining board and some sideboards. Atop the sideboards were a kettle and a small microwave. It was a cosy little apartment and felt comfortable to Alice. She had a feeling she would be happy here. Once everything was unpacked, the apartment felt really homey. Alice looked around and smiled – she could envision her future here in one of these small chalets. It was just right, it was her. Annie and Liam showed up about twenty minutes after Alice had started unpacking.

"Hey! What are you guys doing here? It's not time to go out already is it? I just finished unpacking, I'm not ready! Oh my-" Alice began to panic.

"Chill out! It's time for dinner and then you have an hour or two to get ready for tonight when you'll meet your colleagues!" Annie grinned.

Alice was relieved and the three of them made their way to _Ocean Drive_, where they were set to dine. When they entered the Skyline, the queue emerging from the doors of _Ocean Drive_ was huge. It panned backwards past the doors of _Burger King _to the doors of _Discover Butlins_, almost halfway down the Skyline.

"Oh my days, you didn't tell me that the queue would be this long!" Alice gasped.

Annie giggled and squeezed Liam's hand, "It's a busy place, but trust us-"

Liam spoke up that day for the first time, "The food is so good."

Annie agreed with her boyfriend and Alice was shocked by Liam's input. She only just realised that since the big argument at IHOP, Liam hadn't spoken much. It was as if he was afraid to speak in case he started ranting again. Something told Alice that Liam hadn't quite found closure over the whole issue back home and still felt that the whole situation was unjust for his petite blonde girlfriend. But over time, she was sure that he would come out of his shell a little more and become more confident. Once the doors opened, the queue quickly broke down.

"Go and get some food, we'll grab the table." Annie patted her friend's shoulder and then ran to find the table with Liam on her heels. Alice strolled over to the food section and began to choose which she wanted.

"Hello," She greeted the tall male behind the counter. "I'll have the battered cod and chips with peas, please." She followed her request with a smile, glancing over the name tag of the staff member which read 'Michal'. She took the plate once he had served her meal and grinned to him. "Thanks, Michal."

"No problem, miss, enjoy!" He replied, his last word rising in pitch slightly, adding a funny little cheeriness to his voice.

Alice wandered over to where she had earlier spotted Liam and Annie, already eating. Liam had chosen food of the Chinese variety and Annie had followed suit with Alice, opting for fish, chips and peas – seaside style. The trio ate and chatted with ease and half an hour later, they were leaving to their apartments to change into more appropriate evening clothes.

"Wait," Annie stopped them, halfway across the Skyline, her eyes on _Discover Butlins_. "We should go in there, meet your new colleagues and all that jazz!"

"Sure!" Alice agreed and all three made their way over, where a female Redcoat with long brown hair stood. Alice browsed her tag, just like she had done with Michal, and discovered her name was Kirsty.

"You alright there, guys?" The Redcoat interrupted Alice's thoughts.

"Yeah, sorry," Alice giggled slightly. "I was in wonderland there. I start training to be a Redcoat on Monday and I wanted to meet some people before I started."

Kirsty's face lit up in excitement, "Well, it's lovely to meet you! Am I the first you've met? There's so many of us, it's unreal."

"You're the first, as far as I'm aware. I haven't really approached anyone else."

"Wow! I feel honoured. Well, I'm Kirsty."

**{Short AN mid-chapter, apologies!: For those who have read the previous version of this story – Kirsty will be nice (for now) but she will turn into that person that ****you all know and love to hate, however, you will learn why! I've just come back from Butlins, on Monday, so I'm in a really good writing mood :D For real life reference though, Kirsty is still an actual Redcoat and she is so lovely, so please don't think that my character or anything I create as a back story for her is based off of the real Kirsty because it's not! Done.}**

"Alice." She replied with a smile. "It's lovely to meet you, I feel a little more confident knowing that someone will know me and vice versa."

"I noticed your accent... American?" Kirsty frowned in confusion. "That's a long way to travel back and forth."

Alice grimaced briefly, "I won't be travelling back and forth, let's just say this is a getaway job."

"Bad break-up?" Kirsty questioned.

"You could say that."

Kirsty smiled in empathy. She, too, had turned to such a time consuming job as this for the safety of life away from her problems. All she had managed to do, realistically, so far was create more problems for herself – but here. It seemed like she couldn't get anything right, but she need not burden someone she had just met with her life story. On cue, her phone buzzed in her pocket, at exactly 17:40.

Kevin: Hey, Kirst! On my way, running a little late. See ya soon! Kev x She grinned and shot back a reply.

Kirsty: Kev! Aw, you silly boy. I told you not to be late this time! Let you off though ;) See ya soon! Kirst xx

Sliding the phone back into her pocket, she looked up into the eyes of a confused Alice. "Sorry, my friend, Kevin, just texted me. He's on his way here; he's a Redcoat too, you should stick around and meet him! He'll probably bring his girlfriend, Abby, too."

"Is she a Redcoat too?" Alice queried.

"Yes, she is." Kirsty's face turned sour at the topic of Abby and Alice wondered what had gone on there... Or what was still going on. She looked to her right and saw a tall, ginger-y haired male and a short, black haired woman headed for them. Alice guessed this was Kevin and the female was then Abby. _They look friendly enough_, she thought to herself, _I could get along with them._

"Kirstums!" Kevin lifted Kirsty off of the floor and spun her around in a circle whilst Abby looked around slightly awkwardly. Alice stood and gawked, quite simply; Liam and Annie did too.

"Hey, Kev!" Kirsty replied gleefully, the sour look dropping from her face instantly. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Oi, Abs, get over here." He gestured to the petite woman.

She rolled her eyes, "You could be a little nicer about it."

Kevin strolled over to her and wrapped an arm around her, "Na, you know I'm joking, babe. I'd kiss you, but..."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Later." Abby rolled her eyes again and knocked Kevin away. Something was telling Alice that those kind of conversations had been going on far too often and for far too long. "Who are they, Kirsty? Why are they just hanging around? You're so bad."

Alice smiled, "Hi, you're Abby I'm guessing? Unless I've gotten it completely wrong."

She winked slightly making Abby laugh. "Nope, I'm Abby and that's Kevin... She's Kirsty." Her face turned sour at the mention of Kirsty and Alice understood – rivalry was a misty fog in the air which Kevin was, it seemed, oblivious to. "Are you looking for help, or...?"

"Nope, I'm starting Academy on Monday and wanted to meet some of my colleagues beforehand. Kirsty informed me kindly that if I stuck around I could meet you guys." The southern in her Texas accent was blatantly obvious around these clear, British accents and she stuck out like a sore thumb.

"Wow, all the way from America... Interesting." Abby looked as though she really wanted to know that story, but knew Alice wasn't letting it out any time soon. Abby looked back to Kevin and Kirsty messing around and a wave of jealousy passed over her. _She_ was Kevin's girlfriend, surely that would mean he would mess around with her, instead of that ugly little tramp? Clearly, that was not the case. She tried to take his attention back after seeing the time. "Kev, we have to work, our shift is starting."

"Yeah, two seconds babes." Kevin brushed her off. She sighed heavily, walking around the desk to sit down, absolutely fed up.

Kirsty, on the other hand, was in ecstasy. Kevin never paid her this much attention – tickling, prodding, jabbing, laughing, hugging – and she wondered if he could possibly feel the way she did. Was Abby about to become the dumpee? She had a known reputation around the site for going out with almost every male Redcoat that was near her age (pretty much all of them) and it was about time that someone got their revenge. Kevin knew when he asked her out that she would be trouble, so why had he? All of these things ran through Kirsty's head, but most of all, why did he choose Abby and not her?

Alice's phone vibrating pulled her out of the temporary state of disorientation that she found herself in watching Kevin and Kirsty interact. She took it from her pocket and read the text from an unknown number.

Unknown Number: You have one week to come back to Texas, or I come to you.

Alice: Who the hell is this? Leave me alone, you creep, I'm working in England now. There is no way in hell that I will be returning to Texas any time soon.

Unknown Number: One week is all I'm going to say. Two can play games, Alice, but my games aren't fun.

Alice: Leave me the hell alone, creep.

Unknown Number: You like to cuss, don't you? It's pretty hot. I'll leave you alone when you're where you belong. New game: How fast can Alice lose her little British job?

She put away her phone, spooked completely. Annie looked on at her best friend who had gone completely white, so white that her make-up was invisible.

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**AN: So there we have it! Chapter Five may have taken some time to bang out, but I did it! About that... *cringes* Sorry. I've moved house from one side of the country to the other and I'm about to move street. Things are really hectic and my laptop doesn't seem to like giving me internet right now either... On top of this, I've just come back from an 8 day holiday at Butlins on which I met a lot of Redcoats who will likely appear at some time in this story and who are FABULOUS! Unfortunately, Kevin is no longer a Redcoat and it wasn't quite the same without him, but I love it all the same! There was a fabulous new addition to the team though, called Jordan who is from down the road from me! He's seriously yummy. Link on my profile though, and you'll get to see me too... :$ So again, apologies for my absence, I promise (don't hold me to it) that the wait won't be that long again and I am at work on chapter six right _now_. ** **Also, I've been doing GOTHIC LITERATURE at college and I'm pretty sure that's why the end of this chapter is a bit creepy... *shivers*. Happy reading! Liss [: xx**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Chapter Six! Wew! This story _will_ continue from chapter six this time... Sorry about that for those who read previous version... It will also get past 11 chapters (if you've been loving me long time, you'll understand). Shoutout to _Sarah V_ (always my first reviewer) who says Jasper should go get his girlfriend! But should he scare her into coming home? Oh, controversy how I love you! Anyway, here's the chapter!**

**Chapter Six**

Alice recovered from her trance quickly and shivered, trying to shake the feeling. Everyone around her kept asking if she was okay, if she needed anyone. She shook her head firmly and replied, "Just some closure from a bad relationship ending, but I doubt you can give me that."

Abby, Kirsty and Kevin frowned but it was obvious that Annie and Liam understood. Slowly, Alice's nerves returned to normal and she was smiling again. Her sea blue eyes locked onto a pair of beautifully deep brown eyes and she was captivated. Unable to look away, her lips upturned in a small smile. The stranger with the beautiful eyes returned the smile, slowly, but returned it nonetheless. She tore her gaze away to look at the rest of the stranger. He was tall with brown hair that flopped in a bunch of adorable curls on the top of his head, leaning slightly right. His uniform was pristine and on his back hung a stunning Epiphone DR-100 acoustic guitar. He stood tall and had a beaming smile that could make any living organism lose breath. He was... Perfect, in a word. But that was all she could really refer to him as, 'That Redcoat' or 'Him'. It was pitiful, really.

_**{AN: For Guitar lovers, you will understand the reference. For non-guitar lovers... This is a beautiful guitar, do look it up! I'm pretty sure that this is Jordan's actual guitar, but if not, it looks a lot like it. The description of Jordan is most definitely accurate, hehehe ;D Descriptions as taken from memory and photos.}**_

He opened his mouth to speak and stumbled over his words, "I.. Uh, sorry," He interrupted his sentence with a chuckle. His laugh was so melodic that it was indescribable. He closed the gap between them and stood just one step away. _Close enough for contact_, Alice mentally noted. She had to physically stop herself from reaching out and touching any part of him. Her musings over his beauty were interrupted by his perfectly harmonised voice, "I'm Jordan, nice to meet you..."

The pause left after his words were evidently for her introduction, but she made no utterance. It was impossible for her to even speak, he had stunned her into silence, or so she thought... Until her brain got her in trouble, yet again. "Wow." She muttered.

"Pardon?" Jordan looked confused and Alice immediately wanted to take back those words.

"I'm Alice, is what I said." She recovered quickly, hoping he would take no notice.

Jordan's face lit again, "Lovely to meet you."

"You too." Alice felt heat rush to her face. How was this happening? She couldn't allow herself to fall for a colleague. It was unacceptable. She attempted to pause her brain, to stop herself from making any more comments about how handsome he was, not forgetting how kind he came across... _Oh, and those eyes. That guitar... That hair- NO! Not. Falling. _She scolded herself.

_I have to get away. Now._ She thought and immediately tapped Annie. "We should go change, we can meet more staff later, right? What venue are you guys going to be in later?" Her last interrogative was meant for everyone, but she only really cared about Jordan's answer.

Annie, however, had noticed Jordan and Alice's reactions to one another. Annie had met Jordan earlier in the week and he had sat at a table with herself and Liam for the past few nights, on and off the clock. She had come to know him quite well. He was nineteen and from Louth which wasn't too far from Skegness, only around an hour away. He was single and not really looking. He had been with two girls that he worked with and it had only ended badly. What he didn't know about Alice couldn't hurt him, right? If Annie could only stop Alice mentioning her soon-to-be position at Butlins, then maybe nature could take its course. Then there was the problem of Alice to deal with... She was stubborn and refused to be in any intimate relationship until at least three months after Jasper because else it would just cause trouble, according to her. Annie, on the other hand, being his sister, assumed that it would ease him over her faster if she wasn't single. Somehow, someday, Annabel Hale would get Jordan and Alice together even if it was the last matchmaking she did.

"Kevin and I are in _Reds_ later and Kirsty is off, but Abby is in _Centre Stage_." Jordan replied, his eyes locking with Alice's again.

Alice smiled as she realised that _Reds_ was where they had planned to go that night solely because the entertainment was better; the fact that Jordan would be there was just the icing on the cake, really. "That's cool, we were planning on coming to _Reds_ to see the One Direction tribute act."

"That's awesome, I guess we'll see you later on then. Which way are you guys headed? I was just off back to my apartment." Jordan grinned and winked at Alice cheekily.

"That way," Annie pointed. "You go that way too, don't you? Walk with us?"

"Of course." Jordan agreed to walk with them. "Kirst, you coming?"

Kirsty's head snapped away from gazing secretly at Kevin and Abby to face Jordan and the rest of the group. "Yeah, I'm gonna stop off at the staff dining room though, I'm starving."

"Okay." Jordan grinned.

Kirsty kept looking back towards Kevin and Abby. Finally, she sighed, "Actually, I'm gonna stay for a while. See you later though."

"Alright, see you tomorrow then?"

"Yeah, of course." The pair hugged fondly and Alice noticed that they were much like siblings. "See you later, Jord." Kirsty said before walking back to _Discover Butlins_.

"See you, Kirst!" He grinned, waving. "Alright, you lot, let's get going."

The group walked along joking and messing all the way back to Alice's block. When they stood reached the block of Standard apartments, Alice spoke up, "Right guys, this is me. See you all later though? Annie, Liam, I'll get a good place in the queue for Centre Stage, meet me there, okay?"

"Sure, see you soon, Ali." Annie smiled, hugging her best friend. Liam followed suit, saying bye and hugging Alice fondly. "Jordan, we'll wait down here, okay?"

The couple walked around the corner and then came Jordan's turn to say goodbye. "Will you definitely be in Centre Stage later?"

"Definitely." Alice breathed. The moment was fragile and intense, neither of them wanting to move. Suddenly, Alice broke eye contact, looking around her. "I better go in... See you later though."

"Don't queue. Turn up at Centre Stage at 7.15pm and go straight to the front row of tables. It will be for you and the others. How many people are in your party?" Jordan almost whispered. The two faces were only three inches apart and Alice could feel Jordan's breath, hot on her face.

"Five. But Jeanette and Andrew might not come out, so it could be three."

"The table will be for six."

"Six?" Alice was confused.

"I'll be joining you." He winked. "Once my shift finishes at 9, of course."

"Are you sure? It's no trouble to queue..." She was cut off by Jordan's finger covering her lips in a 'Shh' symbol. Her breathing turned heavy quickly and she was finding it hard to find the air to breathe. There was undeniable chemistry between the pair and it was overwhelming when they were together.

"Positive. See you there." Jordan whispered finally before turning around and walking away. Alice walked in to the small corridor connecting the two apartments. She slid her key card into the lock and entered her apartment. As soon as the door closed behind her, she fell against it, breathless and completely confused by what had just happened.

Jordan walked around the corner to find Annie and Liam giggling. He felt slightly awkward but knew he had to remain neutral around Alice. Being with colleagues in a romantic way had caused him trouble before and he didn't want to revisit the scene. Although something about Alice drew him to her and there was immediate chemistry, he knew he had to resist. She would be his colleague. He needed to remember that.

"Hey guys," He greeted the pair, pulling them out of their little world.

"Hey, you were a while!" Annie commented.

"Sorry about that, we were getting along quite well." Jordan flushed a pinky colour, embarrassed slightly.

Annie's face lit up, "Oh my gosh, did you kiss her?"

Jordan's eyes widened, "No! I barely know her, so why would we kiss?!"

"Because the chemistry there is so obvious. Come on, Jordan! We all know that you're lonely and Ali is too... Kind of."

"What do you mean, 'kind of'?" Jordan was hugely confused now.

"It's complicated and really not my place to tell you." Annie replied smugly, knowing that it would leave him on edge for the rest of the night.

"Tell me."

"You sure you can handle it? It's some pretty heavy stuff..." Liam said. "Man, you seriously might want to think this through before making Annie tell you."

"I'm sure; I want to know." Jordan stood looking utterly bewildered. This piece of information on Alice would surely make his feelings for her, which now were just scraping the surface, deepen. Did he want his feelings to deepen? He was sure that just ten minutes ago he had been convincing himself otherwise. She would be a colleague in just three days – even if she was only at Redcoat Academy. It would look bad if she came into the company already seeing one of them, wouldn't it? But then if he didn't snap her up now, so to speak, then someone else would, surely? She was a beautiful girl and he couldn't think of one man on the site of Butlins, Skegness that wouldn't want to be with her. This piece of information and knowing not what to bring up would give him the edge over the other men on site. Jordan's "brain mash" was interrupted by Annie.

All of a sudden, things went from jokey to serious. "Okay, meet me at the doors to Centre Stage tonight ten minutes after your shift. You have to speak to Ali first tell her that you bumped into me and that I'm just going back to the apartment to pick something up. You'll say that Liam knows where I am and is just in the toilet. You'll also tell her that you're just going to get changed. In a moment, you're going to go to your apartment and pick an outfit for tonight which you will drop off at our apartment on your way back to work. Liam, you'll wait with me tonight until Jordan arrives and then you'll go back to Alice. Me and Jordan will go to the apartment and talk about it then come back. Alice must never find out about this and if the rumours are true, neither must a new guy called Jasper. Word of advice, don't make friends with him if you intend to 'get along' with Alice. You'll understand later. Does everyone understand?" Annie paused for a response. Everyone nodded and she continued. "Good, so in short, Jordan go back, get an outfit, drop it off at ours on your way past. Tonight, meet me and Liam at the doors of Centre Stage ten minutes after your shift; in those ten minutes, you will go to our table and tell Alice you're going to get changed and that you bumped into me and I'm going to get something while Liam's in the toilet. Once you get to me, Liam will go to the table and sit with Alice. We will talk about things, you'll get changed, we'll then go back to the table. Alice will never know, Jasper will never know. The end." She nodded.

"Okay, got it. See you later, then?" Jordan nodded to their apartment door. "Oh, and go into Centre Stage at 7.15pm and go to the front, I've sorted it for you all." They all nodded and said goodbye and the couple went into their apartment. Jordan carried on walking, wondering what to wear tonight after his shift. He didn't want to look like he was trying too hard because then he might put Alice off. At the same time, he didn't want to look like a tramp that had just walked in off the street. He just needed to look casual but smart. Then he remembered his promise to Alice about the table – there was still that to deal with. His heart was pounding and he was unsure that he could make it through the night.

***HWBTE;HWBTE;HWBTE;HWBTE***

Alice glanced at the clock and it was five past six. She got up and brushed down her dress. It was a black sequinned covered dress that was paired with some lace patterned tights and her favourite patent peep toe black heels with a bow on the front. Her hair was straight with the odd curl here and there. The front was pinned behind her ears on both sides, with her fringe sitting parted as normal. At the back, where the two pieces of hair met, sat a small red fabric flower. To match this, Alice wore bright red lipstick and then her eyes were boldly outlined with eyeliner. She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. She walked to the door and opened it, ensuring that her key card was in her bag. When her fingers wrapped around it, she made her way out. Her heels click-clacked against the pavement as she made her way towards the Skyline.

Alice reached Centre Stage and the queue was short. She had little faith in Jordan's ability to save a front row table for her and the rest of the party because of his job commitments. She pulled out her phone and began to browse Facebook. A few posts made her laugh but some people took it to the extreme and posted everything on the internet. Just when she was beginning to get lost in her own thoughts about the text messages she had received earlier, a voice whispered in her ear, "What are you doing here?"

Jordan looked at his watch: half past five. He brushed down his uniform and checked it in the mirror. He looked the same as always but it was good enough. The matt of curls on his head sat perfectly, just like they had been ruffled yet styled to look that way. He smiled and shouted to his room mate, Jamie. "Jay, I'm off now, see you later and have a nice date with Jodie."

"I will, mate. Good luck with this bird you've been telling me about, eh? I hope she's as nice as you're making out." Jamie replied, grinning.

"Thanks, mate." Jordan closed the door behind him. He fully intended to spend the first part of his night (which he usually spent chattering) sat at a front row table, holding it for Alice. He was just that whipped.

When he got to work, he knew that he'd have to socialise outside first before he'd be allowed to sit at the table. His genius plan hit him in the dressing room. He pulled a piece of paper from the pad on the desk and scrawled, "RESERVED FOR HER" before running out and placing it on the middle table at the front. There was logic to his madness. If he saved her table, he knew where she was. This meant that he could speak to her whenever and also steal glances at her beautiful face. As well as this, it also meant that he could find them easily when he joined them. Simple.

He walked around the back out of the staff area and into the Skyline. It was already half past six, the time had flown by. When he entered the Skyline, his view caught on a figure that he recognised instantly. Instead of catching her attention, he went around the teddy grabbers and over the Magic Circle before stopping behind her. He signalled 'shh' to the children behind and whispered in her ear, "What are you doing here?"

She jumped about a mile before turning around, "Oh my God , Jordan! What are you doing creeping up on me like that!? You scared the life out of me."

"You didn't answer my question."

"I didn't think you'd have time to save a table, so I came to queue just in case." She smirked, like she knew he'd be annoyed that she didn't trust him.

He tried to hide the tiny sting of hurt that he felt at the implication that really she just didn't trust him. He soon decided that it was better to play it off as fake hurt. "I'm hurt! I can't believe you didn't have faith in me. How rude."

He smirked. The tables had soon turned. Alice looked a touch uncomfortable whilst trying to find a comeback. He laughed and reassured her that a table was sorted. "I mean, you're free to stand in line for half an hour but your table is saved, as promised."

"I think I'll stay, purely because I have nothing better to do." She smiled at him.

"How about you and I go on a little adventure?" He suggested, admitting to himself that it was an awful way to flirt but she seemed to be eating it up.

"Sure." She took the arm he offered and he smiled to himself. This was a good way to begin and if this symbolised the near future then he was happy.

Jordan lead the petite brunette on his arm to the staff area. Technically, she was staff, so she was allowed back here. Well, that was what he was convincing himself, anyway. She looked fascinated by the messy area that the staff passed through on their way into venues.

She looked away from the scenery to face Jordan. He was stopped in his tracks by her small tug on his arm. "Where are you taking me?"

"You'll see. I'm showing you that you can trust me." He replied simply but smugly.

Alice was confused but Jordan proceeded to lead the way. They passed a couple of double doors and another set before Alice knew where she was. He had lead her to Centre Stage which was silent and light for a change. It was unusual but beautiful at the same time. As they reached the dance floor, a small piece of paper caught her eye. Before she knew it, she had turned to Jordan and demanded, "Wait here."

She ran over to the table, slowly, and picked it up. It was immediately snatched from her hand. "No, you can't read this yet."

She frowned and turned around. "Why not?"

"Because its for when the venue is open." He slipped the paper into his jacket, out of her reach.

"Please?" Alice tried the innocent face which usually worked but Jordan wasn't falling for it.

"I'm going to be honest and tell you that right now I'd really like to kiss you but I think I'm being too forward. The best way to go about this is... Well, um, would you consider coming off site with me tonight? Or even on site, I really don't mind." Jordan babbled.

Alice smiled, "Of course, but can we stay on site? There's some good entertainment on tonight. I know you've probably seen it all a million times but..."

Jordan pressed a finger to her lips, "Okay."

Alice leaned up and pressed a chaste kiss to his cheek. He blushed slightly and refrained from diving right in and kissing her. Their eyes locked, just like that first day, and they were suddenly leaning towards one another. Their faces were just inches apart when they were interrupted by the crowds coming in. Jordan quickly replaced the sign onto the middle front table. Alice stepped away from Jordan not wanting to cause suspicion among the guests. She was internally screaming about her 'date' with him tonight. He could be spending his limited time off doing anything but he was choosing to spend it with her. That in itself was phenomenal. But was it a date, or not? "Is this a date?"

"If you want it to be... I'd like it to be." He replied, still blushing.

"I'd really like that." Alice blushed too.

"So, a date it shall be."

Both smiled like the world had just been handed to them on a silver platter. The air around them wasn't overbearing like it had been with Jasper and the feeling was surreal to Alice. Jasper. The thought loomed over her that he would be coming here. He had to, because she sure as hell wasn't running now. All she had done in her life was run from her problems and now was the time to face them head on. It was what she needed to build up her mental strength and teach her how to better deal with her problems in the first place.

Annie and Liam left their apartment at exactly ten past seven to go and meet Alice. They had no clue about what had happened just half an hour earlier between Jordan and Alice but they did worry about the petite woman. They had both tried to call her numerous times but she failed to pick up every single time. Annie had paced the apartment, worried that her best friend had been hurt by someone. Liam had managed to assure her that Alice would be fine. She was an adult now, she could take care of herself. Surely, she would have been meeting Jordan there and there was no way he would let her be hurt, would there? The pair were both in the dark and their heads spinning trying to keep up with their friend but all they could do was wait until they reached the venue. Then they would know for sure that she was absolutely fine, or so they hoped.

**AN: Sorry to cut here, it's not exactly a cliffie for you guys, but for Annie and Liam it sure is! I had to stop because else I literally could have written another chapter's worth, which I will now do for chapter seven. Seven will be the date, so hang tight! Sorry for the wait, my internet was off this week due to moving house {again} but we're settled now so no worries! Liss xx**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: This was already written. I couldn't stop after writing six, so here you go! Little Mix – DNA was on loop for this chapter!**

**Chapter Seven**

Annie braced herself as she entered the venue, Liam close by her side. She was browsing frantically for her best friend, unable to stay still. She had looked over the room at least twice since they had come in and had not yet found Alice. Suddenly, her eyes locked on the back of a red jacket, sat on one of the closest tables. The mysterious red jacketed person had a mass of curls laid to one side on his head and Annie's mind reverted to one person – Jordan. She smiled in relief and tapped Liam.

"She's over there, I'm willing to bet on it." She pointed.

Liam frowned, "I can't see her. What makes you say that?"

"There's Jordan."

"Ah." Liam understood immediately.

The two sprinted practically over to the front table, squeezing past the tables in the way with small "excuse me"'s and "sorry"'s. They stopped abruptly when they saw Jordan and Alice hunched over the table chatting quietly. Alice was giggling and Jordan's hand was placed over hers under the table, out of sight. Annie smiled at Liam and he placed a kiss on her forehead. They were about to find a different table when Jordan turned around.

"Annie! Liam!" He shouted, trying to catch their attention.

They walked over to the table and sat down. Annie smiled, "Hey."

"Hey, how are you both? I told you the table was sorted." Jordan replied, his right hand still under the table.

Alice sat in silence, a broad smile on her face. Her fingers were interlocked with Jordan's under the table and he had promised her that later on it wouldn't be so secretive. It was only because he was in uniform that they had to be secretive at all and Jordan didn't like it.

The first part of the night passed quickly until Jordan left their table to help out with the entertainment. Alice's hand felt empty and it wasn't like her to lean on someone so much after a short amount of time but she felt like Jordan was good for her and though she didn't know it, Annie and Liam thought that he was brilliant for her because she had cheered up and been a lot more lively since she had met him. It was like she had almost forgotten about Jasper completely and she was just living her life – like she should.

At 9pm, Jordan's shift finished and the plan kicked into action. He went over to the table, wearing a coat over his uniform and greeted everyone. Annie said her goodbyes for now and went off to 'the toilet' before Liam followed. Alice looked to the floor, feeling a little awkward. It was almost as though she could tell there was something she didn't know.

"Hey, hey, Alice. Look at me." Jordan said, in a sweet, quiet voice. He curved a finger under her chin and pull it up gently and slowly to look at him. "I'm going to get some clothes and get changed, okay? Jay will want to talk about his date, so I'll be back in about half an hour. I'll miss you loads, though."

Alice nodded and he hugged her quickly before rushing off. She smiled sadly as she watched him go, certain that he wasn't just mentioning that his room-mate would want to talk for the hell of it. In fact, she had seen Jamie and he was working... What was going on? It was a bit convenient the way that they all rushed off like dominoes. Were they meeting up to ditch her? Was she just being left here? Or were they talking about her? That one gave her a funny feeling. Yep, definitely talking about her. What if Annie told him about her past? She didn't want to tell him so soon in case it scared him away. But then if Jasper turned up, how would she explain? She knew that she had to do right by everyone.

Pulling up her texts, she clicked _Annie_. Her fingers tapped out a message to her best friend and she hit send before she could even think about it twice.

**Alice:** Hey Annie, I know you've not gone to the toilet... I've worked out that you're talking about me – funny feeling. If it's about Jasper, please tell him in a way that doesn't creep him out. I'm fine with it. He needs to know because Jas might turn up – will explain later. Love you Xxxx

**Annie: **Sorry that we didn't tell you. I had a feeling you'd work it out, you're funny like that. He wanted to know desperately, so I told him I'd tell him. I won't let on that you know, but if you want to put that reserved sign back up and join us at my apt then you're very welcome ;) Love you too! Xxxx

Alice giggled at the response and put up the Reserved sign. She left Annie and Liam's coats there too before getting up and practically sprinting to their apartment. She knocked on the door and heard Annie tell them she'd be back in a moment. She opened the door and held a finger to her lips. "Shh."

The girls entered the apartment – closing the door, of course – and Annie told Alice to wait outside the living room a moment. Alice heard a lot of whispering until suddenly Annie spoke at normal volume, "Guys, she's practically psychic, I knew she'd work it out. Come in, Ali."

She entered the room shyly to see Liam and a fully changed Jordan sitting on one black leather couch whilst Annie sat alone on the other.

"Hi." She said to Liam and Jordan and they uttered greetings, looking slightly ashamed. Alice turned to Annie, "How much have you told him, so far?"

"Nothing, I was just getting into my intro when you texted me." Annie smiled warmly, patting the seat next to her.

"Wait." Jordan said before putting his arms out and standing up. Alice stood frozen, confused by the gesture. Jordan reached her in two steps before enveloping her in his arms tightly. "I'm sorry that we tried to do this behind your back. I should've come to you and asked you outright. It was stupid to try and do this without you and I understand if you're angry."

Alice's eyes welled up with tears at his apology. She put her arms around him and squeezed gently before sniffling. "It's okay. It's not your fault, I just didn't want to scare you away."

Jordan snorted, "Like you could."

He pressed a barely noticeable kiss to her forehead and then let her go. Liam had moved over to sit next to Annie, so the pair could sit together. Jordan sat down and Alice sat on the seat next to him. His arm went around her and pulled her into his side. She smiled, leaning into him slightly. "Annie, you should do what you were going to before I interrupted."

"Okay. Jordan, are you sure you want to hear this? I will warn you-"

"Can I warn him?" Alice asked. When she had approval, she looked up at Jordan, looking into his eyes, and began. "_I_ will warn you that my past is a deep and dark place that I don't like to revisit. The only reason that you need to know this is because I received some text messages from my ex saying that he was coming to get me if I didn't go home to Texas – so you need to be aware of him if he turns up unexpectedly. This will be a lengthy and painful story for all of us to tell but we're willing to tell it. Are you sure you want to hear it?"

"Yes. I'm sure." Was all Jordan could manage. He could feel the intensity in the room rising.

Annie nodded to Alice and Alice nodded back. Annie took a breath and began to tell the story. "Okay, I have an older brother called Jasper. He's nineteen, blonde and quite tall. He has a thick Texas accent that girls often fall for. That's exactly what happened to Alice but worse. Our family, the Hales and Alice's family, the Cullens are best friends and all of the children grew up together, obviously being really close. In my family, there's my eldest sibling, Rosalie, Jasper and I. In the Cullen family, there's the twins, Ali's eldest siblings, Edward and Emmett, Alice and Alfie. When Alice was sixteen, she'd had a crush on my brother for two years already. That year they got together and all was blissful until a couple of months ago... I think?" She looked to Alice for confirmation.

"Yeah, it was about three months ago that everything began to go downhill. To cut a long story short, my dad had an affair with my friend and Alfie who we supposedly adopted was actually our half brother. My father got kicked out, my mother went into severe depression and instead of her taking care of us, all of a sudden we were taking care of her, each other and ourselves. It became really hard to cope, really fast. My brother, Edward, moved out with his girlfriend, Isabella and my other brother, Emmett, moved to Spain with his girlfriend, Annie's sister Rosalie. My mother's breakdown and sudden dependency on everyone around her wasn't just hard on our family, it was hard on the Hales too. Jasper got crabbier and crabbier and so did I. We were the only children left that had any loyalty to our families and they leaned on us both, hard. Annie and Liam moved to Skegness with their grandparents and I liked the look of it. I told Jasper I wanted to move here and he flipped out asking why we couldn't stay in America at least. He couldn't seem to understand," Alice took a breath, choking back tears. "He..." She tried to start her sentence again but the tears were coming fast and hot down her cheeks. Jordan tightened his arm around her and she turned her face into his shoulder for a moment.

When she had calmed down a little, she spoke again. "He couldn't seem to understand that the longer we stayed there, the more dependent our families became on us to provide. I was eighteen and trying to keep the family alive – it became too much. When he told me he couldn't move, I did it without him. He found out I was moving and ended our relationship. That was last week. I never intended to fall for anyone so quickly, so please don't think that I'm the type to bounce between relationships. I loved Jasper, a lot and in some ways I still do, but I've realised that I love the old Jasper, how he was when he was seventeen, not the monster he's turned into."

Jordan didn't know how to react. It was undeniable that his feelings for Alice had developed rapidly and evidently so had hers for him, but to know that she had barely gotten out of a two year relationship frightened him. "I... I don't know what to say. I'm sorry that you had to go through that."

"Oh, I'm not done. When my family found out I was moving, my parents were livid and Jasper's parents were confused as to what the problem was. Jasper was bitter and my brothers and their girlfriends were over the moon. They had seen and felt how it was in those two households when they had left. They had noticed the impact on me, but Jasper couldn't have cared less. It was like he was happy in that circumstance and expected me to be too. I didn't want to leave without him but his grandparents urged me to do something for myself instead of him for a change. My whole life for two years revolved around what was best for Jasper and what Jas would want. Nothing was ever for me and he was happy living that way."

"I think it's safe to say that my brother is an idiot, Ali. He treated everyone like crap in the end and didn't really care who he trod into the dirt along the way. He took the same attitude as your mother – it was all about how he would survive in life and how people needed to be dedicated to keeping him happy as can be. That kind of attitude was what made us all miserable." Annie added.

Liam spoke up then, "I spent some time talking to Isabella and even she had noticed the change in you, Alice. She told me that you used to be so full of life, so rich in happiness and constantly on Cloud Nine but when things fell apart and Jasper changed, you turned to the opposite pole. You were constantly upset or crying and never once did any of us see you smile in or out of that house. I, for one, am really glad you came here because Jordan is so good for you. Both Annie and I have agreed that you've become your old self around him. You're happy, bubbly for the first time in months and it brings our moods up. I want to thank you, Jordan, for bringing back _our_ Alice. I know, man, it seems fast for her to be in a relationship and with Jasper's little tantrum brewing, there will be a lot of obstacles. You'll notice an immediate change in her as soon as he shows up, but you need to stand by her and help her out of the moods he puts her in. She needs you more than anything right now and it might seem soon to be so depended on and Alice won't even realise how much she needs someone like you, but you need to be there. You're good for her."

After a moment of thinking, Jordan nodded firmly, "I'll be there for you, Alice. He won't hurt you anymore."

The tears spilled down her face again as she thanked him for being so good at handling all of this. Taking her hand in his, Jordan stood up, pulling Alice with him. "Shall we go back?"

Liam and Annie looked at each other before nodding and turning back to them. "We're gonna stay in and watch a film, go on without us. By the way, Ali, Jas sent me a message before saying see you later, so watch out for him."

Alice nodded and her and Jordan set off, fingers interlocked. The night was dark and the air cool. Alice shivered slightly and Jordan looked to her immediately. "You cold?"

"Not really, no." She smiled up at him.

"Here," He dropped her hand and took off his jacket, pulling it over her arms. He zipped it up for her and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close. "You should be warm in that, it's really thick."

"Thank you." Alice blushed. She had seen these kinds of things in films but never had it happened to her. Jasper wasn't really the romantic type for the bulk of their relationship. She looped her arm around Jordan's waist and leaned into him slightly as they walked.

They reached the venue and resumed their seats at the front of the tables in the break between entertainment. They shifted the chairs to be side by side and Jordan ran to the bar to get drinks.

"Alright mate," He greeted Joe behind the bar. "Blue WKD and a usual, please."

"A blue WKD? Who you buying that for?" Joe queried, a teasing tone lingering in his voice.

"My date. But that's not your business, barman." They laughed together and said goodbye after Jordan paid for the drinks. He carried them back to the table and put down the WKD in front of Alice. "There you go, one blue WKD."

She grinned and sipped some. A satisfactory 'mmm' made Jordan smile as he placed his arm over her shoulders. The night went on quickly and the pair were having a great time. The table was littered with bottles and glasses; they were both considerably tipsy and more confident. They were partaking in an intense conversation when Alice put her finger to Jordan's lips, mid-sentence. "Would you mind if I tried something?"

"Not at all."

"Stop me if you don't want me to." She warned before leaning in. Their faces were an inch apart, just like earlier. "You sure?"

"Defin-"

"Who the hell are you and what are you doing to _my_ Alice?" A deep Texan voice said before Jordan was flung out of his chair. Suddenly, both of them were completely sober and Alice's eyes were wide with fear.

Jordan stood up and grabbed Alice's hand and the coats from the chairs, pulling her from her seat. "Come on, let's go."

Alice ran as fast as she could in heels but she still lagged behind Jordan. Jordan stopped and picked her up. As they ran, Jordan asked, "Do you mind if I carry you?"

"Not at all," Alice said into his ear, sliding her arms around his neck for grip. She looked over his shoulder and saw her ex boyfriend about a metre away, running after the pair. "My phone is in your coat pocket. It's kind of awkward..."

"Just get it. Tell Annie to get outside her apartment." Jordan said breathlessly.

Alice carefully pulled her phone from Jordan's coat, dialling Annie immediately. "Hello, Annie?"

Annie answered in a groggy voice. "Alice? What's wrong?"

"Jasper is here. He saw me and Jordan in Centre Stage about to kiss and is absolutely livid. You need to get outside your apartment now and we'll lead him to you."

"Crap, okay. You can't go to your apartment tonight, Ali."

Alice quickly asked Jordan if he could hear. He nodded. "Okay, why?"

"He asked where Gran and Gramps were. I told him and he must've worked out you were here with them. Your apartment is next door and he would've worked it out fast enough. Can Jordan hear me?"

"Yes." He puffed.

"Okay, Jordan, lead Jas here and I'll sort him out. You need to take Alice to your apartment and let her stay with you tonight, okay?"

"Yes," He puffed again. "That's fine. What about PJs?"

"Just lend her some of your clothes, I don't know! That isn't the problem right now! You have my brother chasing you and my best friend and he probably wants to kill you right now! The main objective is to keep you two safe right now, not what Alice has for bed!" Annie shrieked. "See you in a moment. Security will be onto him already because he acted out in the middle of a venue but I'll call them here."

"Bye, Annie." Alice said, stuffing her phone into the coat. "Just run, babe. We'll be fine."

Alice began to take her shoes off, knowing she had socks on. Once they were off she told Jordan to drop her. He did swiftly and she began to run alongside him, looking behind quickly. Jasper had dropped a tiny bit but he was livid, you could see it in his face. Alice quickly grabbed hold of Jordan's hand to help her keep pace. "He's still close. It's left here."

The pair swung left and Alice checked that Jasper followed – he did. She smiled to Jordan. "It's gonna be okay."

They caught sight of Annie and a group of black suited men with her. Alice grinned, realising that they were security. They stopped at Annie and Annie shook her head. "What are you doing? Go! You need to go to Jordan's apartment!"

"No, we need to lure him here. I need to know, Annie, why he wanted me to go home so badly. I need to speak to him, but in a controlled circumstance. Please?" Alice pleaded. Jordan looked worried and really didn't want to leave Alice's side. He turned and pulled her into his arms.

"Don't get hurt." He whispered.

"What do you mean? Don't be stupid, you're coming in. I need you to be there." She gripped onto him tightly.

"I will be, I promise." He squeezed her once before letting go. Jasper was jogging now, looking really angry.

"Annie! What the hell!" He cried out before the security men grabbed him.

"Where to, miss?" One asked Alice.

"In Annie's apartment. It'll be easier with everyone around."

They nodded before ushering him in. He seemed a lot calmer, but the eyes were not to be trusted. Annie, Alice and Jordan followed the group of security into the apartment. Liam was sat on the sofa next to Jasper, talking to him quietly, a security guard overlooking while the rest stood a little further back.

As soon as Jordan was in sight, Jasper jumped out of his seat only to be grabbed by the security guy behind him. "Sit down."

Jasper followed the command easily but glared continually at Jordan. Annie went to sit next to Liam and Liam's arm went around Annie quickly, beginning a quick whispered conversation. Jordan and Alice sat on the opposite sofa, hand in hand.

"I'm sorry," Alice whispered. "This is all my fault. You shouldn't have to deal with all of my baggage."

Jordan squeezed her hand. "It's my choice to deal with it, Alice. Don't beat yourself up over it all, we'll be fine."

Both of them were thinking about how miraculous it was to feel the way they did after only one day but also how much drama had come crashing into their relationship so quickly. Jasper's glare was burning into Jordan's cheek but he tried to ignore it. Alice shuffled closer to Jordan, trying to ease his tenseness. She rested their joined hands on his knee and felt Jasper's burning gaze shift to their hands. She could hear him breathing from across the room and it terrified her. She decided to break the awkward silence and snapped, "Okay. Do you want to go first or shall I? Because I sure do have a lot to say."

"You can." Jasper muttered.

"Right, okay, shall we start with how out of order you are? How dare you text me threats telling me I better go home to Texas or you're coming for me! I cannot believe you had the audacity to even try to speak to me again, after the way you acted! You are an absolute disgrace and I can't even look at you anymore. I don't know who you are, Jasper, but you're not the person I loved. Not anymore. You're completely out of order coming here and barging in on our conversation, not to mention the pushing Jordan off of his chair!" She was cut off there by Jasper.

"Conversation? Conversation! Well if someone trying to kiss my girl is a conversation then I'll be damned! Alice, you know damn right that was more out of order than what I did! You were going to let him kiss you, for God's sake!"

"No, Jasper. That's where you're wrong. _I _was going to kiss _him_. Okay? Like I said, I'm allowed a life-"

"I never said that you weren't allowed a life, Alice, but we haven't even split up properly-"

"_Not split up properly_? Absolute B S and you know it. You told me that if I left, we were over because I was leaving you in every sense! You just can't handle that I can live without you but you can't live without me-"

"We never actually said that we were over, Alice-"

"I told you the other day on the phone that we were over for real. That should have been message enough-"

"Don't lie because your little fancy boy is here, Alice-"

"How dare you-!"

"You're trying to make it look better for yourself because when the truth comes out you look like a little skank-"

"I was eighteen, Jasper! I couldn't do it anymore, it was tearing me apart and you expected me to live with it!"

"And you think it wasn't hurting me too? I watched you walk away from me, step by step and then you walked out, that was painful-"

"Oh, yeah? Painful is knowing that your boyfriend doesn't give two craps!"

"I cared, Alice! What are you even-"

"Don't even, Jasper. Don't even lie to me. You never cared after about the first three months. It was all about you-"

"No it wasn't! Don't lie!"

"**I'm not lying**." Alice finished the argument forcefully. "You just can't accept the truth."

Annie spoke up, finally, from Liam's side. "Jasper, she's right-"

"Don't you dare side with her, you saw me!"

"_Let me speak_. You were over when she left, you couldn't believe it. You kept telling me she'd moved on and damn right, she was trying. You keep dragging her down, can't you see that? If you'd just let her go, she could be happy, Jas. You need to realise that you just don't make her happy anymore – in fact, just look at her. You make her really angry. She's found someone that makes her happy and she's only known him a day, Jasper, you need to let go. Jordan isn't a bad person. He's really nice and really good for Ali. He makes her smile and he makes her shine the way she used to, Jas. You can't do that anymore and as much as that hurts, you need to know and accept that. The pair of you have grown apart too much to ever be able to bring back that spark that you had."

"N... No." He choked, tears rolling down his face. "I need her."

"I know you do, Jasper, but she can't be what you need anymore. She has someone else that needs her like she needs them. She's clawing at what she has left and trying to rebuild her life from the ground. She has found someone who will help her do that, someone selfless. You have to admit it, Jas, you were selfish. You didn't mean to be, but you were."

"I... I just wanted to love h... her. I just wanted her to l... love m... me." He sniffled.

"I know, I know." She pulled him into a hug and he cried into her shoulder.

"I still l... love her, Annie. S... so much."

"I know, honey and it'll take time for the wound to heal but you need to let her be happy. That means that you don't go around pushing Jordan off of chairs."

"I k... know. I w... want her to f... forgive me. Both of them." He choked on his words.

Jordan had been struck silent. This man in front of him was falling to pieces at Alice's feet and she wasn't even reacting. She actually looked quite annoyed. She looked up to Jordan and the annoyed look disappeared. It was replaced with a smile, a shine that he hadn't noticed before. It made him smile to see her so happy just from looking at him. She shifted to look at him. "We should go."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I can't look at him anymore, I feel sick."

"Alice, don't. Look at him. He's falling apart at your feet and you're being bitter." Annie inserted. "He's apologised and whether or not you accept it, he's genuinely sorry for letting his temper and possessiveness get the better of him."

"Sorry, Annie, it's just after everything... I just can't."

"It's okay, I get it. I didn't feel sorry for him either, until now. I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?" Annie smiled sadly.

"Yeah, of course." Alice returned the gesture before saying goodbye to Liam.

Jordan slipped his hand into hers and they headed down towards Jordan's apartment. "Since we don't need to worry about Jasper now, do you want me to walk you to your apartment?"

"What?"

"I just assumed that because you didn't have to stay with me, you wouldn't want to."

Alice leaned up on her tiptoes and pulled Jordan's face down to hers. They were a matter of inches apart. "Are you blind?"

"What?" Jordan was confused.

"I don't know what you do to your smile but you had me at first glance." Alice stated in a whisper.

"I'm... Really confused." Jordan began to ask what she was talking about when Alice pressed her lips to his gently. "Um."

"Now do you get it?"

"Maybe... Maybe not." He smiled, kissing her lightly. "Yeah, I think I do. Come on, it's cold."

He gave her his coat again and they walked hand in hand to his apartment.

**AN: So, er... This chapter is almost five thousand words! I got a little carried away ;D Chapter Eight is being written!**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Chapter Eight! This will be mainly Redcoat Academy – more of a filler than a plot filled chapter... A little plot surprise to it though, so don't skim! See you down below!**

**PS: Please remember I know nothing about the hiring and training process of Butlins so any information on it is likely to be incorrect. Also, the back stories are mostly fictional – eg. Jordan has only been a Redcoat for one year, not three.**

**Chapter Eight**

The rest of the weekend was peaceful. The day after Alice slept at Jordan's apartment was a fun filled day out in Skegness for the pair. Jordan was off and they spent the whole day just getting to know each other. Alice learnt that Jordan had one sister who was twelve called Niamh and that his family lived in Louth where he grew up. On her final day, Jordan was working the whole day from 12am, so they met for a coffee and said goodbye before parting ways for three weeks while Alice attended Redcoat Academy. The first morning, Alice was up the walls with excitement. She couldn't wait to start her new job, regardless of the fact that her new boyfriend would be there. The couple had made it official on the day that they had spent together and were happier than anything. Jasper hadn't showed up again but Annie had told them he was around.

Alice reached her destination fifteen minutes before she was due. She was ready and raring to go, dressing Hollister joggers and hoodie with a sleeveless tee underneath. She stretched out and as she was finishing up, her instructor showed up. "Hello, you must be Alice. I'm Craig, one of the Redcoats here at Skegness."

"Yeah, it's nice to meet you!" She shook his hand.

"Right, so I don't know if they've told you but your training is going to be cut down to two weeks instead of three. The first week will be party dances and other dance type things that you will need to know and the second week will be etiquette and uniform." He began.

Alice nodded, "That sounds good."

"You'll be taught by Redcoats from the park, but unfortunately not everyone will get a chance to teach you something. This first week will be a rotating group of six Redcoats with myself teaching you and demonstrating party dances etcetera. The Redcoats will depend on who is off that day but it is a perfect way to get to know and meet your colleagues. You'll also meet all of the performing Redcoats that tend to spend more time on stage than out and about." He took a breath before continuing. "Right, so, your application says that you can sing and dance. Is that correct?"

"Yeah, I took performing arts at school, so I was trained."

"Okay, usually you have to wait three months to be in any shows or performances but due to your special acceptance, if you're talented enough, they'll give you slots straight away."

"Awesome, that would be so good. I'm looking forward to being in shows and the like."

"Now, the other Redcoats helping out should be here any minute. Today we've got Thomas, Sharee, Kirsty, Jamie and Charlie. Sharee is a team leader, so her first impression of you will mean a lot when it comes to getting into shows and other performances."

"Okay." Alice grinned, excited to meet so many people throughout the course of the week.

"Craig?" A female voice shouted. "Where are you?"

"This way!" He replied.

A smiling female emerged around the door frame. She had blonde hair with the underneath of it dyed a dark brown. It looked very nice but it wasn't something you saw everyday.

"Hi! You must Alice, oh my gosh, Jordan's told me so much about you! I'm Charlie," She babbled excitedly.

Alice was in shock a little. Jordan had been telling people about her? "Uh... Oh! Awesome," She grinned. "Nice to meet you!"

"Jordan? How does he even know you?" Craig asked, confused.

"I spent this last weekend on site and met Jordan and Kirsty and a few others..." Alice left it there, not thinking it appropriate to bring up a relationship yet.

"Just _met_ Jordan? That's not what he told me..." Charlie looked incredibly confused now and Alice realised that he had probably told her about their relationship.

"What do you mean, Charl?" Craig queried. So much for keeping it quiet.

"Um," Alice interrupted before Charlie could speak. "Jordan and I are dating."

"Wow, that's fast." There was a tone of disapproving in Craig's voice. "Get in there, girl!"

"Huh?"

Now it was Charlie's turn to interrupt. "Jordan hasn't been out with a colleague for two years and the last girl he did go out with was me. He swore after we split up that he wouldn't ever be with another colleague romantically because it was too messy. Don't worry though, we're the best of friends now."

Alice felt a little reassured but also weary. Best friends with his ex? That sounded almost worrying. "Awesome." She managed to smile and say without showing her doubts.

Suddenly, Kirsty ran into the room and jumped on Alice. "Alice! Hey!"

"Hey Kirst," Alice giggled. "It's lovely to see you again!"

"Oh my god, I missed that accent so much." Kirsty said, brushing herself down. "How are you? I heard something about you!"

"Did you? Oh my days... What has he been saying?" Alice rolled her eyes jokingly.

"Who?"

"Jordan! It seems he's been talking to everyone about me."

"Oh, he's been telling me all about your psycho ex boyfriend and then funnily enough I bumped into the guy. He is hot! I don't know how you pull them all." Kirsty laughed, bumping Alice's side and winking. "Oh wait, yeah I do. You're skinny and gorgeous – enough said, really! Congrats on pulling the Jordster by the way. He's not dated a colleague in donkeys years."

"I've heard that! I feel all special," She giggled. "He's so nice though. I can see why he'd have swarms of girls around him."

"Mhm and now he's _all_ yours! Girl, you're lucky, okay. He's just... Ooft, I would."

"Excuse me?" Alice pulled a jokey annoyed face.

"Oops, sorry!" Kirsty laughed and Alice joined her.

"I see you've already met Kirsty." Craig said, grinning. "Hey Kirstums."

"Craigy!" Kirsty ran and hugged him tightly. "How's things?"

"Good thanks." He grinned, hugging her back.

Alice noticed that Charlie's face was slightly less happy but she was still smiling and Kirsty hadn't even acknowledged Charlie's presence. Just as Alice began to wonder, another female came through the door. She had really long chocolate brown hair and she was stunning. _This must be Sharee,_ Alice thought. _Better make a good impression._

Alice straightened her posture a little and smiled widely, walking over confidently. "Hi, I'm Alice. You must be Sharee? It's lovely to finally meet you. I've heard a lot about you from Craig, here."

Sharee's face lit up and she shook Alice's hand. "Yes, it's lovely to meet you too! At last! There's been so much talk about you around the office, I couldn't wait to finally work with you. I hear you're the lucky lady that captured Jordan's heart."

Alice blushed and giggled, "Yeah, something like that."

"Well, I'm glad he's finally happy. He's been so much brighter around work lately, you're a very good influence on him." Sharee grinned.

Another Redcoat entered the room then. "Sorry I'm a bit late, Jordan wouldn't stop banging on about his girlfr- Oops. Hi Alice!"

"Hey, Jamie, lovely to see you again!" Alice hugged him and grinned, her cheeks a little red at his entrance.

"Just so you know, Jordan is doing my head in, telling me how much he misses you; I could punch him. Jodie's working loads because it's peak season so I can't even get away from him! I blame you. Text him or something and tell him to shut up about you when he's round me, please?" He begged and Alice just laughed.

"Will do, later on."

Sharee tapped Alice's shoulder, "By the way, I was told to inform you that if you come with me to the office after this session we can get you into an apartment." She turned away after Alice nodded and spoke to the group as a whole, "Also guys, there's another trainee joining us today, he's a bit last minute but I think Alice might know him... He's from Texas too, his name is Jasper Hale."

Alice's jaw dropped. Kirsty's jaw dropped. Jamie's eyes widened. Charlie, Craig and Sharee were oblivious to the element of shock in the room. Alice was the first to stutter a reply, "P... Pardon?"

"Jasper Hale. Do you know him?" Sharee asked, smiling.

"Yes... He's... Um. Yes." Alice stumbled on her words and felt her eyes welling up. "Seeing as we're waiting on him and... Thomas? May I be excused to the toilet for a moment, please?"

"Go ahead."

She jogged from the room with a small thanks to the toilets. Jamie and Kirsty were still in the studio with shocked looks on their faces.

"Can myself and Kirsty chat to you a sec, Sharee?" Jamie asked.

"Yeah, sure, what's up?" Sharee looked confused.

"Can we go outside?" Kirsty piped up.

"Of course." Sharee followed the two of them into the small room next door. "What's up, you two?"

"Jasper Hale." Jamie said. "He's trouble. He got pulled by security on Friday night for attacking Jordan in Centre Stage and then chasing Jordan and Alice down to his sister's apartment."

"Yes, I'm well aware of this but people make mistakes and he assured me that everything was sorted. Why is he a problem?"

"He's Alice's ex boyfriend from what I've heard from Jordan." Kirsty began. "He's got some kind of possessiveness over Alice and it sparks a wild temper that's fuelled by jealousy. She moved here to get away from her family problems and him."

"I'm well aware of why Alice moved here, but surely she can be civil with him when they're working together?" It was as if Sharee couldn't physically understand why he was a problem. "Look, the first time he causes a problem he will be dealt with but until then, I want you to treat him like any other trainee, understood?"

"Yes." They replied simultaneously.

"I'm going back in. You go and find Alice because I presume that's why she's upset. Calm her down and bring her back. I'm sorry that this has become awkward for her but it's just the way it is I'm afraid." Sharee concluded before walking away.

Kirsty and Jamie reached the toilets and Alice was curled up in a ball on the floor just outside the door, her face tearstained.

"Ali, it'll be alright, he won't go near you. If he does, Jordan will be on him like a tonne of bricks." Kirsty assured her.

"But what if he hurts him?" Alice sobbed, getting up.

"Nothing can hurt Jordan, Alice. Trust me, I'm his room-mate and I've seen that lad get punches from peoples exes and he's got right back up and whacked them one. When he's with a girl, he's dedicated." Jamie added. "Wipe your tears and know that he's there for you."

So Alice did exactly that. The trio headed back to the dance studio where the remaining four Redcoats stood chatting. In the doorway stood a timid character.

"Excuse me, please." Jamie said before edging round him with Kirsty and Alice in tow. "When we starting?"

"Ten minutes." Sharee responded.

Alice's and Jasper's eyes locked and there was an awkward air between them. Breaking the tension, Alice's phone rang in her pocket. She pulled it out and answered it. "Hello?"

"Ali, it's me." A deep, smooth voice said.

Alice's face lit up. "Hey, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just wanted to wish you luck for today." Jordan assured her. His smile was almost audible through the phone. "I'm part of the training team tomorrow. I can't wait to see you again, I miss you."

"Miss you too. Jamie told me to ask you to stop talking about me? I have to be honest, I didn't really know what to say to that..."

Jamie jumped over to Alice and snatched the phone, "Aww, aren't you two cute!? Seriously though mate, stop talking about her. It's annoying. Thanks."

He handed the phone back and Alice laughed. "Sorry about that."

"It's fine," Jordan replied. "Right, I better let you get back to work. See you tomorrow though, babe."

"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye, miss you."

"Miss you too," Alice said. Then she remembered the figure staring at her in the corner. "Jordan! Wait."

Jordan froze. "What's up?"

"What shift are you on?"

"Until 6pm then off... I'm not on a venue shift tonight. Why, what's the matter? You're scaring me, Alice..." His voice was weary and Alice wanted to take back her question.

"Nothing. Can you ring me later? Maybe we could meet up for dinner or something?" She smiled at the thought of seeing him again.

"I'd like that, a lot. See you later then?"

"Definitely. I miss you, Jord."

"Miss you too, Ali. See you later."

"Bye." Alice grinned as she hung up. When her phone was in her bag on the floor, she jumped and spun around, squealing to herself. She had completely forgotten about anyone else in the room until Jamie started laughing.

"Okay, let's start." Sharee shouted and Craig took over.

"Right, shall we start with party dances?"

From then on, the day consisted of learning party dance after party dance and whether or not Alice had them memorised. By the end, she was exhausted.

"Okay, Alice and Jasper come with me and we'll get your accommodation sorted out." Sharee addressed them both. "You can get changed before we go to the office if you want. I'll be here in five minutes and we'll head over."

"Thank you so much, Sharee." Alice said, relief washing over her.

She was drenched with sweat and absolutely stunk of it. She grabbed her River Island bag from the floor and ran to the toilets. The first thing she did after locking herself in a stall was pull off her tee and sweats, replacing them with a pair of jeans and a chequered shirt after spraying a good proportion of deodorant under her arms and all over herself. She added her denim jacket over the top and then changed her dance pumps to black Vans. Finally, she looped her masses of bracelets onto her left wrist. Picking up her clothes and shoving them into her bag, she unlocked the stall. She tugged a brush through her matted hair and pulled it to one side before walking out of the toilets, pushing the brush into her bag.

She walked casually back to the studio and Sharee and Jasper were stood chatting already. Sharee had gotten changed into a white collared black tee and jeans paired with a leather jacket and white Converse. Jasper was still in his slacks and tee, sweat dripping from his hair. Alice pulled a face internally and walked over to them. "Hey, I'm all set."

"Right then, let's get going." Sharee said, smiling.

The trio walked over to the office entrance which was situated next to Treasures, the gift store. Sharee's office was right at the back, so they had to walk past all of the desks and office doors to get there. Alice walked with her head held high, trying to make a good impression. When they got to their destination, Sharee offered them both a seat as she sat behind her desk.

"Right, so we don't have much space because you're being taken on at an unusual time which means that unfortunately you _will_ have to share an apartment. We would pair you with other people but there just isn't the space without tripling up the apartments and they really aren't spacious enough to do that. I know there's some kind of awkward past with the pair of you but I'm hoping that you'll be mature enough to overlook it and live together in a platonic way for work purposes. Alice, you do have an out in that Jordan probably won't be best pleased with the arrangement, so you've technically got two options. If there are any problems of any kind, I want you to let me know immediately and we'll swap some things around but for the moment this is the easiest and fastest arrangement. Fortunately, the remaining apartment is two double bedrooms so you won't have to share a room or anything like that. Think of it in the sense that you probably won't spend much time together – Alice, you'll spend a lot of time with Jordan around site etcetera and Jasper, you'll make friends that you'll spend time with outside of the apartment. You will only ever really be in the apartment at the same time overnight." Sharee paused for reaction. When there was none she carried on. "Any questions? Any issues?"

Alice began to splutter incoherently. Jasper looked to the wall behind Sharee's head and spoke up, "Nope, there's no issues."

"Um," Alice suddenly became coherent. "What?"

"_Is_ there a problem, Alice?" Sharee asked.

"Um, no. It should be fine..." She shrunk down into her seat.

"Good, we should get signing papers and stuff."

Shortly after, both Alice and Jasper had at least one key to their new apartment. The first thing Alice did when she got out of the office was pull out her phone. Jasper was close by her side. "Are you going to the apartment? I'm going to put my stuff in, so I wanted to know whether you wanted to choose your room first, or if I should go ahead and move in."

"Just take whichever, it doesn't matter." She said timidly before walking away swiftly towards Discover Butlins where she knew Jordan was currently working. As she was running, small tears began to fall down her cheeks. Jordan was talking to a guest and the other Redcoat was too. As soon as he spotted her, he whispered something to the other Redcoat and she nodded. He said something to the guest and held up a one moment finger before jogging towards her.

"What's happened?" He said, worried. "Come on, let's get away from here."

He guided her by the arm gently out of the Skyline and to a bench. His arm went around her shoulder and pulled her into his chest. She had broken into full sobs. "Alice? What's up?"

"I'm being silly. I should be grateful that I got an apartment but why did it have to be with him?" She rambled.

"With who? Alice, you're worrying me, babe. What's wrong?"

She turned her face to look up at him, "She put me in an apartment with Jasper."

Jordan was instantly livid. "She did _what_?"

"You heard."

"Come on." He stood up, fuming. Alice stood too but put a hand on his arm.

"Jordan, don't, it won't do any good."

"Come on." He said, storming off towards the Skyline.

Alice followed him, shaking her head. He stormed into the office and up the stairs, straight to where Sharee was sat in her office. He knocked and waited for her to answer, thankfully instead of just barging in. As soon as Sharee gave the signal he stormed in. "I am not happy."

"I was expecting you, Jordan. Hello, Alice." She smiled warmly to the pair.

Alice smiled sadly and said, "I'm sorry, I tried to stop him."

"I know, I don't doubt that you did but I was expecting his outburst sooner or later. I knew he wouldn't be happy."

"Okay, back to the issue here, thanks." He snapped. "What the hell are you doing putting them in an apartment together? More to the point, what the hell did you hire him for? He was collected by security the other night! What kind of message does that convey about the company?"

"Jordan, I understand that you're not happy about the arrangements but if it worries you as much as it seems to then why not offer her some alternative? I can't help it if it was the only accommodation left. Jasper doesn't seem like the type of guy to do anything and I figured everyone was mature enough to handle it. Neither of them spoke against it – well, Alice looked like she wanted to but that's not the point, they've both agreed to try it at least for a while and that was their choice, not mine."

"I swear to God, Sharee, the moment she comes to me in tears or hurt because he's said or done something, I will be in here faster than you can blink and I will be on you like a tonne of bricks."

"And I'm fine with that because something will have happened. Alice," She looked to the petite woman in the door. "I trust your judgement and if you come to me and tell me that something has happened that is truly out of order, I will believe you, okay?"

Alice nodded in response, not wanting to show how upset she really was over the whole thing. Jordan, on the other hand, was perfectly happy to show his anger.

"I'm still not happy about this." He ended the conversation there by standing up and marching out. Alice followed with a small sorry to Sharee.

Once they were out of the office, Jordan stopped. "Either I'm staying with you or you're staying with me."

"You stay with me. It'll be nice to give Jamie and Jodie some time for themselves." Alice smiled, wiping her cheeks. She wrapped her arms around Jordan's middle. "You need to go back to work, babe."

"No, I'm not leaving you."

She grabbed his wrist and dragged him, "Come on, you need to do your job. Stop worrying about me. I'll get my stuff into the apartment while you're working and I'll bring some of your stuff too and let Jay know what's going on."

He pulled her around a corner before placing a small kiss on her lips. "I'll be thinking about you all day, worried sick. Ring me if he does anything, I don't care if I'm working. You come first. I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too, now go! Stop slacking," She winked, pushing him away. "See you later."

**AN: So there we have it, some Alidan fluff. Oh, I am just in love with this couple! Thoughts, please? Next chapter is the last of Redcoat Academy and moving in. Also, Jordan's first real meeting with Jasper... How will that go down? Stick around to find out!**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Hey there! Chapter Nine already! I can't believe how quickly this story is progressing, it's so unbelievable. Anyway, enough of my ramblings, here you go! Little bit of Jordan's back story in here, you'll get to know him a bit better and understand his choices some more too. **

**Chapter Nine**

When Jordan had gone back to work, Alice realised she had no key to his apartment. She walked to Discover Butlins and because he was unoccupied, she went straight to the desk. "Hey, I need your key to get my stuff."

"Ah, sorry, I should've given you it before," He said, digging in his pocket and passing her it. "Here you go."

She took the key, smiling. "Thanks, I'll meet you at my apartment after your shift, okay?"

"Yep. Do you have a key so that I don't need to knock?"

"Yeah, Sharee gave me one for you," She dug for the keys, pulling one out for Jordan. "Here."

"Thanks," He pushed it into his pocket.

"No worries, right I'm gonna make a start. See you later though."

"Phone's on loud in case you ring. See you later."

"Sweet," Alice cooed jokingly. "Bye."

She walked with a bounce in her step to Jordan and Jamie's apartment. She inserted the key into the lock and the door sprung open.

"Jord? Is that you?" Jamie shouted from inside the apartment.

"It's me!" Alice shouted back. Jamie walked out of his room and smiled.

"Hey, Ali. Two seconds," He turned his head to the door of the room he had just emerged from and shouted, "Jodie, Alice is here!"

A feminine voice shouted back, "Oh my god, why didn't you tell me she was coming, Jay!? I told you I wanted to meet her! I can't believe Jordan has a- Whoa."

Jodie came out of the bedroom and her jaw dropped at the sight of Alice. "So, you're Jordan's newest. Well, I have to say, you are stunning."

Alice blushed, "Thanks, ditto."

"Jordan can really pick them!" Jodie laughed as she walked over to Jamie, looping an arm around his waist. "How long have you been together?"

"Just a couple of days..."

"What? No way." Her jaw dropped again and Jamie laughed.

"Yeah, Alice here is training to be one of us but she came with some friends for the weekend to meet some staff and look around and stuff. That was when she met our Jord and they clicked instantly. He's been banging on about her since Friday night. He wouldn't shut up... Ever."

The three of them laughed for a good few minutes until Jodie spoke again. "You really wouldn't believe that you'd only just met each other, seriously. You should hear the things he says about you. He's really stuck on you, there's no doubt. I mean," She looked to Jamie. "Have you ever heard him say what he says about Alice before, Jay?"

"No, I've known Jordan for years, since we were kids and he's been with plenty of girls, some for two, three years but he's never said anything like it before. You've really had an effect, Alice." Jamie smiled fondly at Alice. She had a feeling the two couples would grow close – Jamie was beginning to feel like a brother and Jodie was definitely best friend material already.

"I'm glad you've told me that. I have this faith in Jordan that I've never had in anyone before. I've only really ever loved one person in my life and he turned out to be completely wrong for me when I thought he was it – but he never really cared about me, I worked that out not too long ago. He was selfish and everything was about him but Jordan... Jordan is the complete opposite. He's so caring and you can't fault him. He's everything I wanted in Jasper that he lost after four months, but better. He has this overwhelming need to protect me and I love it. I love that someone actually cares about me, I love that I can be with someone and not worry about what he's doing behind my back and I love that everything is two ways, not just one."

Jamie smiled. "You know that he was with Charlie, right?"

"Yeah." Alice's face turned sour quickly and Jamie and Jodie laughed.

"It's okay, babe, he's not going near her any time soon." Jodie giggled.

"I'm going to tell you something that Jordan will tell you soon, but I think you need to know... Especially if you're worried about Charlie." Jamie said. "Jordan and Charlie were together for six months, about two years ago. Jordan was really into Charlie and he thought he was in love with her. He told her and she freaked out. He couldn't understand why she was so scared; he was so sure that she felt the same way. Things had been going brilliantly and they had met each other's families and stuff and it all had been great. Nothing had gone wrong – or so Jordan thought." Jamie started.

Jodie cut in there, "Turns out that Charlie was only seeing Jordan as a rebound. Jordan had no idea but before him she had been seeing one of the lighting guys without anyone knowing and they were together for two years. When he dumped her, she was devastated. To top it all off, at the same time as being dumped, Charlie's grandmother passed away. So when she turned to Jordan as a shoulder to cry on, he thought it was over her grandmother, but really it was more about Adam, the lighting guy. After staying up late talking to Jordan about her problems, she really honestly thought she was beginning to like him in a romantic way, so they went out on a few dates and ended up together.

"For about three months, Charlie honestly thought she was in love and happy in their relationship, but then she began to see Adam around with one of the set girls. She got jealous and realised she had no real feelings for Jordan. She went back to Adam, begging for him to take her back."

"Now, Jodie's a dancer, so she sees the lighting and set teams regularly and one day at work, she overheard Adam telling them how his ex was begging him over text and phone constantly to take her back, but he was seeing Jenn – the set girl." Jamie added.

"So, I went and asked him who he was talking about and he told me it was Charlie." Jodie finished the sentence. "I mean, Jay and I have been together for getting close to five years now, so I knew about Jordan and Charlie through Jamie and we'd been on double dates and stuff a few times with them, but like we said, Charlie's relationship with Adam was all hush hush, so when he told me I was so shocked."

"Yeah, then when Jodie told me, I was fuming. She really chose the wrong guy to mess about; Jord and I have always been close like brothers and to know some girl was messing with his feelings when he'd been so good to her was infuriating. I could barely contain my anger whenever I saw her."

"I barely managed to stop him half the time because I was angry too. I couldn't believe it at first, but that's not the worst of it. A few weeks later I found Jenn crying backstage. I went over and asked what was wrong – I really wish I hadn't. She turned round and told me Adam was cheating on her with his so-called pathetic ex, Charlie. I was livid. I went straight to her apartment and grabbed a clump of her hair. Lucky for me she was wearing extensions, so I pulled them out. She screamed in pain and I laughed in her face. I told her she needed to grow up and walked out, fist full of hair. That was after I told her to never go near Jordan again, of course."

"But that wasn't enough to keep her away," Jamie interrupted. "The next time she saw Jodie, we were walking to Papa Johns and she was with Jordan. They were holding hands. We tried to ignore the fact that she was there but then Jordan asked me to come and do something with him because he needed to speak to me. He wanted to ask her to marry him and wanted me to check the ring that he'd bought. Of course, leaving Jodie and Charlie alone was never a good idea – not with what we knew. Why we never told Jordan, I don't know but we should've. It would've saved a lot of pain. When we got back, Jodie had hold of Charlie's hair again and she was screaming abusive names at her. Charlie was screaming and crying, acting the innocent – Jordan played right into it. He asked what the hell Jodie was doing and they stormed off together, hand in hand, Charlie looking rather smug, like she'd won."

Now it was Jodie's turn to interrupt, "The stupid girl tried to act better than me, thinking she was clever. So, I showed her cheap extensions who was boss. As soon as Jordan and Jamie were gone, she turned to me and started telling me that I wouldn't last long and that she'd seen Jamie looking at other girls and that she'd caught him in a cupboard with one. So I turned round and told her straight that she was telling her own life story, not Jamie's. She didn't like that so she tried to threaten me. She said that if I went around spreading rumours Jamie would leave me and Jordan would hate me too – not to mention everyone else. Then she stupidly went on to say that I wasn't as good as the company made out and that was why people left when I sang. I asked her why so many people left when she sang at Little Big Club then and she tried to hit me. Well, then it was fair play and the extensions were in my hands before I could think straight." She grinned like she was proud of it and Alice couldn't help but laugh.

"So how did Jordan find out?" Alice asked, curiously.

"Well, Charlie and Jordan were on the Little Big Club shift one morning and it was the day after Charlie's comments to Jodie and stuff and also that morning he'd told her he loved her and she freaked. Charlie, all freaked out, went off to 'get changed' an hour early and didn't reappear on time. So, Jordan went to find her, the good boy he is, and as he reached her dressing room door he heard some... Odd noises. He knocked on the door and heard a male voice curse. He pushed the door open and there was Charlie, half dressed with her legs around Adam's waist, who was also half dressed. Jordan closed the door and ran. He had about five minutes to get himself together before he had to go on stage with her and he was an absolute mess. The show was great as always but afterwards he came back to the apartment and fell apart in front of me." Jamie replied. "I knew what was up with him and I explained all the stuff that had happened. He was really angry for a few hours that I didn't tell him but he realised soon enough he needed some support and I was there to give it to him."

"That was an awful day and it took months for Jordan to be right again. When he finally recovered, he vowed never to go near a colleague in a romantic way again – ever. After about a year, he started being friends with her again. I wouldn't speak to him at first, whenever I saw him I completely ignored him because he was speaking to her. Neither of us could understand why he would ever even acknowledge her existence again after what she did to him. I still don't, to be honest, but they're best friends now." Jodie concluded the story.

"Seriously though, no matter how close they are as friends, you don't need to worry about her. He would never fully trust her again unless he was a complete idiot. It's a miracle that you two are together and you can understand why now." Jamie added, smiling. "Whatever your friends told him about you that first night changed the way he thought about you. He tried to stop himself falling for you to start with because of the vow he made, then he came home after that first night and told me that he couldn't stop it. I asked him what he meant and he told me that he'd been told a story that changed his whole perspective of you. He said he respected you for how you lived so happily even though you'd been through so much such a short time ago. I don't know what you said or what you've been through but it changed my best friend for the better and he's stronger now than he ever has been. Thank you."

"Wow. I can't even imagine having that kind of impact on someone." Alice was speechless.

"Anyway, enough of the heavy talks. You should stick around until Jordan gets here, he's probably worried about you straining yourself carrying heavy bags." Jamie joked. "We've got no plans, so you're welcome to sit with us."

"I will take you up on that after I just drop Jordan a text." She grinned.

**Will be at yours, not mine. Miss you :) xxxxxxx**

_Okay, see you soon. Say hey to Jode and Jay for me :) Miss you too :* xxxxxxx_

;**HAVEN'T WE BEEN THROUGH ENOUGH;**

It had been an hour or so since their intense chat and Alice was still chatting to Jamie and Jodie. They were so adorable together, she could hardly imagine them ever splitting up. Jodie was telling them about how the new male dancer had no upper body strength and couldn't hold up his partner. "And he tried to lift Cheryl, who is tiny and practically weightless, above his head in the lift because Craig can lift Tami but he still nearly dropped Cheryl! I mean, she literally weighs eight stone or something ridiculous like that – how do you not have the ability to lift that much when you're a male dancer? It's so unheard of!"

The three of them were in fits of laughter when there was a knock on the door. Jamie got up and walked over, "I'll get it."

He opened the door and Jordan stood there with Charlie at his side.

"Surprise! Look who came to say hey," He grinned, walking straight to hug Alice. "Ali!"

Alice smiled tightly, unable to look at Charlie properly. She felt a pain in her chest for Jordan at the sight of her. She felt Jodie go tense to her left before speaking in a venomous tone, "What the hell did you bring her for, Jordan?"

"Me-ow!" Charlie giggled. "Hey, Alice. It's lovely to see you again! Jordan's been telling me all about you."

Jordan sat on Alice's right and looped his arm around her, pulling her into his side. "What's up?"

"It's nothing." She smiled, shaking her head. "Hey, Charlie. Funnily enough, I've been hearing all about you too, from Jamie and Jodie."

Jordan squeezed her hip gently and kissed her cheek. "I hope that Jodie hasn't been causing trouble."

Jodie stood up in a rage, "How dare you even accuse me of causing trouble, I'm not the one-"

Jamie pulled her into his chest. "Calm down, babe."

"No, she's a b-"

"Stop it, Jode." Jamie silenced her, hugging her tightly. "Come on, I think we better go for a coffee or something."

"We've got coffee, Jay?" Jordan questioned, seemingly oblivious.

"We'll pass, mate. See you later." Jamie waved, nodding his head to Charlie civilly and smiling to Alice.

"Bye Alice, see you later! Good riddance b-" Jodie got out before Jamie dragged her away.

As soon as the wooden door closed you could hear Jodie letting out her anger and Jamie trying to calm her down. But as they left, an awkward silence filled the void. Alice really couldn't look at Charlie in the same way after what she'd been told that day, but Charlie seemed determined to hold a conversation with her. "So, Alice, how are you liking England? I bet it's dreary, right?"

"I like it." She nodded, trying to seem less poisonous than Jodie.

"What about the weather? Is it really different?" Charlie was bordering on annoying in her attempt to uphold a conversation.

"Not really."

_Maybe, if I keep giving short, clippy answers she'll go away,_ Alice thought to herself._ I should be so lucky. I can't even act horrible because supposedly I don't know anything._

Jordan had gone to the kitchen to make Charlie coffee because Alice had politely declined. Alice stood suddenly, "Right, I better get started on this stuff or I'm never gonna get finished. Jamie and Jodie kept me talking for hours."

Jordan stopped what he was doing immediately, "What? If you wait like half an hour or so, I'll help you-"

"No, it's okay. I can manage," She smiled, warmly. "You just stay and... Chat."

She walked into Jordan's room and sighed before looping her bags over her case handle. She could hear Jordan and Charlie talking and laughing in the living room and tried to block it out. Once the bags were all looped on, she began to pull it. It felt like it weighed a tonne but she continued to pull, nonetheless. When she got into the living room, Jordan looked up from his conversation while Charlie was speaking and asked again if she wanted help – she politely declined again before pulling again. She got out of the door and felt awful. She was treating Jordan in a funny way because she had objections towards his ex being near him and it wasn't fair. She considered going back and apologising but she couldn't interrupt them again, that would be rude.

She pulled the suitcase all the way to her apartment and when she opened the door, Jasper rushed over and lifted it for her, taking it to her room. He didn't even ask or hesitate before taking her case from her. She smiled sadly but at the same time wanted to object. "What are you doing? I could manage."

"Yeah, it looked like it," He said, chuckling. "Where's lover boy? Shouldn't he be doing these things now, not me?"

"I told him that I could manage, because I _can_." She insisted.

"Like I said, it looked like it." He said before disappearing back into his room.

Alice walked back towards Jordan's apartment after unpacking and knocked on the door lightly. She could hear laughing and a faint, "Come in!"

Just before she entered the room, Charlie pulled Jordan to her and kissed him. Alice entered the doorway a split second after Charlie pulled him and left a split second before Jordan pushed her away.

"What were you thinking, Charlie?! I have a girlfriend." Jordan snapped angrily.

"We've been laughing and chatting like we used to all day, I thought you wanted me to." She said.

Jordan stood up, pacing the room. "How the hell do I fix this? For God's sake, Charlie! You've ruined _everything_, yet again! I don't understand how we go from being best friends and nothing more, suddenly to wanting to kiss each other? I didn't want this and you've gone and messed up my relationship. Just because you think cheating is acceptable, doesn't mean I do!"

Charlie began to try and apologise but Jordan was out of the door before she could even utter one letter. He ran to Costa as fast as he could, trying to call Alice as he ran. She refused to pick up the phone for him and he felt this searing pain in his chest because of it. When he spotted Jamie and Jodie, he stopped and tried to explain through his panting. "Alice... took her case... came back... Charlie kissed me... Alice ran... _where is she_?"

"No idea, mate, we've not seen h- _What_?" Jamie answered, in shock.

Jodie stood up and dug in Jamie's pocket before sprinting away with the key to their apartment, no one even tried to stop her. Jordan sighed, sitting down. "Ring her, please? She won't answer when I ring."

"Well no surprise there, she's just seen you and Charlie kissing."

"Did you... Oh my god. You told her the story, didn't you?" Jordan asked.

"Yeah, sorry but she was scaring herself with ideas of Charlie and you getting it on behind her back. It's a good job that we did tell her, else this would look a whole lot worse."

"Thanks mate."

"Any time. Now, let me ring her." Jamie pulled his phone out, dialling Alice. She picked up immediately. Jordan could hear the sobs from the other side of the table and felt his heart breaking for her.

"Alice, where are you?" Jamie asked, the worry resounding in his tone. There was a barely audible reply on the other end and Jamie's eyes widened. All of a sudden, he sprung into action. He stood up and slung his jacket on before pushing his chair in and beckoning Jordan. "Stay there, I'm coming."

**AN: Cliffie! Dun dun dunnnnnnnnn... Sorry! I had a little drag in my writing process towards the middle, so I threw Charlie in there to stir things up a little, hehe! Jordan and Jasper's reactions to one another next chapter, promise! Happy reading :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Here we are at Chapter Ten! This story is progressing so quickly, I can barely keep track. I hit a major block with this chapter, so I apologise for the wait! Does anyone else think that Jodie is a little bit like Rosalie? She really reminds me of her! Hope you like it and keep those reviews coming! Little surprise in this chapter!**

**Chapter Ten**

Jamie hung up the phone, stuffing it into his pocket before sprinting out and shouting backwards, "Follow me!"

The two men ran at high speed across the park towards the fair. Jordan was confused. "Jay, this is no time for the fair! We need to find her!"

Jamie carried on running, straight through to the female toilets near check-in. He knocked loudly on the outside door and when there was no response he sighed. "Alice, it's me!"

He pulled his phone from his pocket and dialled Jodie. She picked up with a grunt, "What, Jay? I'm beating the crap out of her right now."

"Well stop and get here. We have Alice to deal with!" Jamie snapped. Jodie muttered something under her breath before hanging up. Jamie shoved his phone back into his trousers and started tapping his foot.

Five minutes later, Jodie appeared and stormed into the toilets. She stopped dead in her tracks when she caught sight of Alice collapsed against the toilets, sobbing. Jamie and Jordan were in the entryway between the disabled toilet and female toilets, their left ears pressed to the door.

Jodie walked over to Alice and sat by her, pulling her into a hug. "Honey, why are you crying?"

"He... Charlie... I..." She broke off and sobbed heavily again. "They kissed."

"No, honey, she kissed him because she's a b-"

"_Jodie_!" Jamie shouted.

"Sorry." She looked guilty and laughed, making Alice laugh. "She kissed him because she felt like someone had a better chance at keeping his attention. She didn't like that all of a sudden he didn't have all the time in the world to spend with his so-called best friend, so she tried to break the connection to the person who was 'distracting' him – meaning you. The only way she could do that was to try and make it look like he'd cheated. Jordan would never do that to you, Alice. Charlie's just a sl-"

"Jodie, I swear to God." Jamie warned.

"Sorry, babe!" Jodie laughed and Alice did too. They got up off of the floor and hugged. "Jordan, get in here."

Jordan walked in timidly and Alice looked to the floor. "I'm sorry for overreacting... I mean, we've been together, what? A few days and already I'm attached. It's ridiculous. I feel like an idiot."

Jordan walked over and pulled her into a tight hug. "Never feel ridiculous for being happy, Alice. You're not the only one who's attached, trust me. Charlie's lucky she didn't get injured; I almost blew a gasket back there. I left her in a state and frankly, I don't care. I'm not getting close to her like that again, I made that mistake once and I won't be making it again. All I need is here. You make me so much happier than I've ever been."

Jamie walked in at that moment and kissed Jodie, "You did well, babe."

"Why thank you." She grinned, taking his hand. "Right, we should go and get ready for this dinner thing tonight."

"Yeah, that's a good point actually." He replied before turning to Jordan and Alice. "My parents are having a dinner party thing and we're required to attend, so we'll see you later. You two have still got Ali's stuff to move in though, haven't you?"

"Well, unpack. And we need to pick some of your stuff up." Alice said, looking up to Jordan who was smiling fondly down at her.

"We better make a move then." Jordan sighed and the group began to say their goodbyes.

Alice and Jordan walked hand in hand the whole way to Alice and Jasper's apartment. When they got there, Jasper was in the kitchen. "Hey, would you like a coffee?"

"Please." Alice answered.

"Yes please. Two sugars, plenty of milk for me and-" Jordan began.

"One sugar, next to no milk for Alice; I know." Jasper finished.

Jordan fidgeted uncomfortably. He felt uneasy at the way Jasper made his love for Alice so obvious. He turned around and walked into Alice's bedroom, where she was already unpacking. He went over and began to help her hang things up. They were already halfway through when Jasper called out, "Coffee!"

"Okay, one second!" Alice shouted to the closed wooden door and carried on hanging clothes in silence.

Jordan put down his hanger and took Alice's too, laying both on the bed. He pulled her by the hips to him, smiling down at her. "I was just thinking about how we haven't actually kissed properly yet. We did briefly that time, in the middle of the walkway."

Alice laughed, "That's very true. But see, I don't generally going around full on kissing strange men."

"I'm offended by that, Miss Cullen. If I was strange, I wouldn't be your current choice of partner, now, would I?" He raised his eyebrows to her.

"I must've disregarded the fact that I do in fact go around dating strange men. However, dating does not usually entail kissing, not in my world."

"Really? Maybe I should go and ask that strange man who bears coffee if you kissed him..."

"Oh, I really don't think that'll be necessary..." She murmured, stretching up on her toes and looping her arms around his neck.

Their noses brushed and eyes drifted closed. Their lips drew closer and closer, until they were almost touching... Until Jasper opened in the door, "Guys, did you hear me? I said coffee."

"Oh, for crying out loud." Jordan muttered.

Jasper stuttered a little before closing the door and shouting, "Sorry!"

Alice put her feet flat on the floor and sighed. "All the time. It's like we're cursed."

"Really? I don't think we are..." Jordan said, pulling Alice back towards him, smiling.

"Well, every time we get any time alone, someone barges in or shows up." Alice sighed, reaching up to slide her hands into the hair on the back of his head.

Jordan placed his forehead to hers and looked into her eyes, "It'll be fine. When you start you'll have barely any time to yourself, never mind for me. At the minute, you have too much time on your hands because of Academy finishing at like four."

"Don't say stuff like that, Jord. It's depressing."

"What is?" He pushed his nose to press against hers.

"That I won't have time for you. There will always be time for you; you mean so much to me. You can't even imagine." She whispered.

Jordan chuckled. "God, Alice, why are you so cute all the time? It's not fair. I'm supposed to come out with the lines!"

She tugged on his hair, pulling his face to hers. They both smiled blissfully before their lips met and began to move in sync together. The kiss became heated quickly and went on for a few minutes, in a battle of dominance between their tongues before they finally pulled away. Jordan pressed his head to Alice's and grinned. "See, was that so hard?"

"Oh, yes, it was horrible. Can't you tell by the horrible grin on my face? Eugh!" Alice retorted sarcastically.

Jordan chuckled and kissed her lightly once more. "I can't wait 'til you start work!"

"Me either, I'm raring to go now."

"Just think we could end up on a shift together. But we can't act like a couple at work – that's the annoying part. Abby and Kevin don't seem to find it hard though. Well, Abby finds it harder than Kevin."

"I noticed that on the first day that I came to look about. She looked really annoyed," Alice frowned. "You know, I haven't seen either of them since that day..."

"They're on holiday together in Spain visiting some of Abby's family until Saturday. They'll be back to work on Monday. You start on Monday, don't you?"

"Indeed, I do. But I haven't got my rota yet, so I don't know what shifts I'm on or anything. I have a meeting with Sharee on Sunday though about my progress and stuff before I start, so hopefully I'll find out then."

"That's alright. Didn't they say that you were being considered for shows? Maybe they'll put you in as a reserve for some until we get some new ones."

"I hope so; I can't wait to get on stage." She smiled.

The two separated and went out to make a coffee to replace the cold one that went to waste and their night was spent curled up in Alice's room watching films until they fell asleep. They never did get round to collecting some of Jordan's clothes until the next day, but they didn't really care.

**Alice POV**

Sunday came at last and my heart was pounding. I slid out of bed five minutes before my alarm blared. My stomach growled as I pulled on my jeans and cut off tee, so I made my way into the kitchen to grab a bagel from the fridge that I had prepared the preceding night. As I shovelled the bagel into my mouth in huge bites, I shoved my purse, phone and makeup bag into my satchel style, loose strap backpack before putting it on my shoulder. After one last glance at Jordan sleeping peacefully, I went back to the living room to apply my makeup. A layer of foundation, mascara and a thin line of eyeliner later; I was ready to head out with my Louboutins on my feet for confidence.

I approached the door and heard a groan from my bedroom. "Ali, where are you?"

"Hey, I was just heading out to my appointment…" I said softly to Jordan, re-entering the bedroom. "Why, what's up?"

"I was cold, but I completely forgot about that." He rubbed his eye, looking up at me with dishevelled hair and tired eyes. "You look gorgeous, by the way. Go on, go; I'll be here when you get back waiting to congratulate you. Good luck, baby."

"Thanks. I'll see you later. Okay?" I smiled. He couldn't look any more innocent than he did in that moment.

"Yeah," He grinned as best he could half asleep before leaning over to kiss me before pushing me gently towards the door. "Go. Bye."

I laughed as I left, saying goodbye and good luck to Jasper, who was getting breakfast ready for his own appointment, on my way out. I practically skipped to the Skyline and took a breath when I was faced with the office doors, looming tall and intimidating over me. I nodded reassuringly to myself and went in, walking straight to Sharee's office, head held high. I waved and smiled at those who recognised me, wishing me luck in my appointment and I could only hope they were right when they said that I was getting in. My hand met Sharee's cold office door and rapped against it a few times to let her know I was here. "Come in."

I twisted the doorknob and the latch slipped away to allow me inside. I stepped in and Sharee gestured to a seat, "Have a seat."

Her face was warm and welcoming, which I decided to take as a good sign of sorts. At least I hadn't upset her. She took a deep breath and smiled, pulling out a sheet of paper from her desk and sliding it across the table to me. "Congratulations, Alice. You're an official Redcoat, welcome to the team!"

I took the paper from the desk and grinned at it before hugging Sharee awkwardly over the desk. "Thank you so much for this, Sharee. I can't even describe how happy I am!"

She pulled out another piece of paper and slid it to me. "This is your rota, you will have a month or so to join rehearsals for shows and learn parts and click with the cast before you have to perform on stage, unless you come to the conclusion that you're ready and show us that you are. You're incredibly lucky that one of our female actresses has just left for maternity before she starts to show and we need a female. They will be able to cover the slot until you're ready, so don't feel any pressure."

"Thank you! I'm so excited," I squealed internally and took the paper, reading over it quickly.

"Your uniform is in the bag by the door," She pointed. "And you're free to go. Your first shift starts tomorrow at 8am in the Skyline, don't be late and good luck!"

I thanked her again and left the office. I looked down to analyse my rota properly. I had been trained to do everything as a part of my Redcoat Academy experience and I was keen to dive in.

**Monday**

_8am: Meet in the staff room after breakfast. Staff dining is open from 6:30am. You will be briefed fully on who your work partner will be here and what the job will entail._

_8:30am: You will be dismissed to your location. Today's first location is: __**Discover Butlins.**__ Arrive here for 9am promptly and you will help set up everything ready for opening at 10am._

_12pm: You will be given a break here, until your next project. Another pair of Redcoats will take your place and you are free to leave once they arrive. Lunch break ends at 12:30pm, therefore your break is at least 30 minutes. Staff dining will be open from 12pm to 12:30pm if you wish to eat there._

_12:30pm: You will be needed at your next location now. Today's second location is: __**Centre Stage**__. Arrive for promptly 12:30pm and the venue will be opening its doors at 1pm sharp. You will first be doing a "meet and greet" of sorts outside the venue. Stand and chat with the queuers, be social. You will be needed to keep the children safe and under control during today's pantomime performance. You must be __**inside of the venue **__by 12:45pm. The pantomime will begin at 1:30pm exactly and the children may sit at the back of the dance floor during the show, but they must stay at the back of the dance floor. You will be sat at one end of the dance floor and your co-worker at the other. If a child at your end tries to run across the dance floor, cause a distraction or get on stage without being asked by a cast member, you must intervene – you have been trained for these things. If a cast member does ask for assistance of a child, you must assist them up the stairs as you have been taught. The show should be finished and photo shoots complete by 4:30pm so that half board residents may eat their evening meal on time._

_6pm: You will now be needed at your third location of the day. Today's third location {night shift} is: __**Reds**__. You have been trained for this. Please arrive at the venue promptly at 6pm and mingle outside. You will be allowed in on doors open as this venue has no back entrance. You must take the staff route that you have been shown through the building to upstairs where the DJ should already be set up for the Under 5s Disco. You may go to staff storage next to the venue and ask security to take your things into the building's staff area. You will be allowed to leave at approximately 9:30pm after the final family show, when another Redcoat will take your place._

_Many thanks enjoy your day and collect your rota for __**Tuesday **__from the office on__** Monday**__ morning._

I put the sheet of paper into my bag and then proceeded to walk back to the apartment. I got recognised a few times because of the Butlins suit bag I carried and it took me considerably longer to get back because of it. I walked into the apartment twenty minutes later and spoke into the open air, "This suit bag caused me to get stopped every five seconds for greetings! I swear it took almost a half hour to get back!"

A deep chuckle resounded from the kitchen and I looked over to see Jordan making food. I walked over slowly, grinning and dropping my bag on the couch on my way past. I eventually reached him, wrapping my arms around his middle and reaching up to place my chin on his shoulder.

"Hey," I said. "What are you cooking?"

He smiled as I pressed a peck to his cheek. "Bacon, egg and potatoes. I had a random craving for them."

"Mm sounds yummy." I grinned, my arms still around his middle.

"Yeah, it looks it too. I made you some too," He smiled, turning his head to kiss my cheek. "It's nearly done."

Two minutes later we were sat at the table together eating chips with bacon and egg. It was yummy; Jordan was a really good cook. Just as I was finishing washing up our dishes, Jasper returned from his interview with a beaming smile.

"How'd it go?" I asked with my back to him. "Did it go well?"

"I passed. I'm happy," He grinned as I turned around, wiping my hands on a nearby towel.

"Good." I smiled. "I'm happy things are working out for you."

**Jordan POV**

I sat at the empty table, watching them interact. It was so _natural_ for them to be like that together… It made me envious. I didn't want her to be close to him like she was to me because then I'd run the risk of losing her. I was there to protect her from him, but if he wasn't a threat, then what was I doing? Did she only see me as a protection method? I hoped to God not, but that's probably all I was.

I got up and walked over, wrapping my arms around Alice's waist and pressing a kiss to the tip of her ear. She carried on talking to Jasper but grabbed my hands and intertwined our fingers before placing them back on her stomach. I didn't realise before but, I really don't like that guy. He made me feel like I _needed_ to be there for Alice, which ultimately was a good thing, but also means that I felt like she wasn't safe here with him. Something told me that this guy was sketchy and that I needed to watch out for him, but I tried not to worry about it too much. I loved Alice and that should have been at the forefront of my mind.

**Jasper POV**

I didn't like Jordan. I had made up my mind, he was too snoopy. He liked to poke his nose into everything Alice-related and I just wanted a little time with her to myself. While he was around, that would never happen. As soon as he wasn't around, I could get her back… Have her to myself.

I missed having my girl around and while that guy was around, she wouldn't be mine. Somehow, _some_ way, I needed to get _him_ out of the picture and _her_ into my life again and this job was the perfect solution…

**AN: Sorry sorry sorry! I didn't mean to take so long I swear, but a filler chapter just really doesn't spark any inspiration and is a drag to write. I'll try to write faster, I swear! Feedback makes me happy :] Love you guys a bunch, Liss xx**


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